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This Weekend NYC Things To Do
NYC is Increasingly Moving to Normal - Many Live Events This Weekend in the Boros including the Feast of St Anthony in the Little Italy section of the Bronx, LGBTQ Festival in the South Bronx, Rose Garden Festival at NYBG, Traditional Street Fair in Forest Hills Qns, Calligraphy Workshop in Jamaica Qns & Plantathon Crafts Fair on the UWS, Tribeca Film Fest continues, Food Truck Fair at Mount Loretto SI, Pride Festival in Brooklyn and a Greek Festival in BK too
Weather. The Temperature highs will be in the low 60's on Friday, rising to the low 70's on Saturday and the mid 70's on Sunday. The temperature lows will be in the low to mid 60's all weekend. Possibly a bit of rain is in the forecast on Sunday night after 9 pm. Winds will range between 3 - 7 mph rising slowly through the weekend. The Humidity will be in the 60% - 80% range all weekend, rising as the weekend progresses.
NYC Live Events Coming Back Gradually - Bronx
Thru Sunday, June 13, 2021 from 6 pm to 11 pm - The Feast of St. Anthony. Times are Friday until 11 pm, Sat from 2 pm - 11 pm / Sun from 2 pm - 10 pm. It's the 114th / 115th annual Feast of St Anthony at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church at 627 East 187th Street which is also known as Bronx Little Italy. The triangle of streets along Cresent and Arthur Avenues & 187th Street in the Little Italy section of the Belmont neighborhood in the Bronx will be celebrating this Belmont neighborhood st fair with rides, games, raffles, food and entertainment every night. Officially the street fair is being held along East 187th street
from Arthur to
Beaumont
Avenue, and along
Crescent from
Cambreleng
to
Belmont Avenue. There will be a procession on Sunday beginning at 5 pm.
On Saturday, June 12, 2021 from 12 noon - 8 pm there's the 1 Bronx Festival / HUB 3rd Avenue Summer Festival / LGBTQ Festival - Along Alexander Avenue between Bruckner and 134th street. Bronx street fairs in the Melrose neighborhood and near Mott Haven. In 2019 it was organized by Third Avenue BID, LGBTQ Bronx Caucus, Out Bronx, BAAD & Bronx Borough President.
On Saturday & Sunday, June 12 & 13, 2021 from 11 am - 4 pm. Rose Garden Weekend at the New York Botanical Garden Festival - At 2900 Southern Blvd in the Bronx. This isn't exactly a street fair in the Norwood / Fordham Manor / University neighborhood of the Central Bronx - but it is an opportunity to see 650 varieties of roses in bloom in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the NY Botanical Gardens [Admission $15 / $7 / $4 & kids under 2 free].
In June 2021 EVERY Saturday from about 12 noon to 7 pm - Bronx Night Market - in Fordham Plaza at East Fordham Road and Third Avenue across from the Metro North Railway Station.
NYC Live Events Coming Back Gradually - Queens
Sunday, June 13, 2021 from 10 am - 6 pm - Forest Hills Festival Of The Arts - Along Austin Street from 69th Road to 72nd Road. St fairs in Forest Hills.
Saturday & Sunday, June 12 & 13, 2021 - from 1 - 4 pm - Traditions Festival. At King Manor at 153rd Street and Jamaica Avenue in King Park. The Saturday event centers around calligraphy and the Sunday event centers around crafts, music and dance.
NYC Live Events Coming Back Gradually - Manhattan
Sunday, June 13, 2021 from 10 am to 6 pm - 43rd Plantathon Crafts Fair - Along west side of Broadway from 73rd to 82nd Street - street fairs in the Upper West Side neighborhood UWS of Manhattan. One of the oldest plant fairs in the city, offering a huge array of plants, food and live music.
Sunday, June 13, 2021 from 12 noon - 62nd Annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in Manhattan - Normally it's live and along 5th Avenue from 44th Street to 79th Street. www.nprdpinc.org. This year it's been cancelled, but there will be a TV show from 12 - 2 pm Sunday on Puerto Rican culture.
The Tribeca Film Festival continues as does entertainment on the Lincoln Center Green.
NYC Live Events Coming Back Gradually - Brooklyn
Thursday - Saturday, June 10 - 12, 2021. From 11 am - 9 pm daily. 42nd Annual Greek Festival at the cathedral at 64 Schermerhorn Street between Court Street and Boerum Place. The event has rides, entertainment, food and shopping. Organized by the St Constantine & Helen Cathedral at stconstantinecathedral.org. Brooklyn street fairs in Brooklyn Heights.
Saturday, June 12, 2021 from 10 am - 6 pm _ 24th Annual Brooklyn Pride Festival. Along 5th Avenue between 3rd and 5th streets. In the past the festivities warm up began with a run through Prospect Park at 10 am [register at brooklynpride.org]. And again - in the past - from 11 am - 6 pm there's a cultural festival with food, shopping and entertainment along 5th Avenue from 1st to 9th Streets, but as you can see above, the size of the fair has been reduced to 3rd to 5th streets. Brooklyn street fairs in Crown Heights.
NYC Live Events Coming Back Gradually - Staten Island
Friday, Saturday & Sunday, June 12 & 13, 2021 - 5th Annual Food Truck Fair - beginning at 1 pm on Saturday and Sunday - ending at 10 pm. Food trucks and live entertainment. At Mount Loretto at 6581 Hylan Blvd on Staten Island. Not a traditional street fair, but 15 food trucks and live entertainment by many bands. For $5 you can get a taste from one of the food trucks. Buy tickets at www.catholiccharitiesofstatenisland.org [or mountloretto.org].
May 27 - June 13, 2021 weekdays from 5 - 10 pm & weekends from 12 noon - 11 pm - SI Mall Carnival at the Staten Island Mall at 2655 Richmond Avenue in the Heartland Village / New Springville neighborhoods of Staten Island. Food, entertainment and rides - $5 admission. Street fairs / festivals in the Heartland Village neighborhood of Staten Island.
Weather. Some small amounts of rain are expected on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - but at a below 50% probability - except Wednesday early afternoon. The temperature highs will be in the mid 80's on Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping to the mid 70's on Thursday and the mid 60's on Friday. The temperature lows will go from about 70 on Tuesday and Wednesday to about 60 on Thursday and Friday. The winds will be between 3 - 10 mph, being calmer in the first couple of days, and a bit more windy toward the end of the week. The humidity will be between 70% and 90% through the week.
The First Live NYC Mayoral Debate was Wednesday June 2nd
It was nice to see all of the major candidates on the same stage talking the issues, as for the first time the debate was live. I went in with Garcia, Morales and Yang near the top of my list; with Adams, Stringer and McGuire at the bottom; and the other two - Donovan and Wiley - in the middle.
I came out of the debate a bit less certain of Garcia, more convinced by Garcia and unchanged on Yang. Wiley stayed in the middle, probably dropping a notch, as she triggered concerns that she may be trying to do too much, too quickly, and thus may fail. Based on what I've seen over the years, you can't lead from the fringer.
Shaun Donovan shot down into the middle of my bottom tier, where Stringer championed the bottom slot. McGuire moved up to the top of the bottom tier, while Adams moved up into the middle tier, pulling neck and neck with Wiley. I'll show you a before / after graphic later this week.
So why the changes?
Donovan Loses Because He Spent his Time Attacking de Blasio, Instead of Offering any New Ideas / Solutions to the Problems Faced by NYC
I think Shaun Donovan has been reading the NY Post and watching Fox News a bit too much. These news outlets are owned by Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch who uses his media outlets as one big propaganda machine which seems designed to manipulate the perceptions of his audiences by omitting key facts and sensationalizing trivia [he was late] and hyping allegations [fake news corruption]. Donovan doesn't seem to understand that de Blasio went unchalleged in the last election and defeated Malliotakis by a landslide.
So Shaun wasted his time trying to position himself as the un-de Blasio, in a manner not unlike what former Congressman Max Rose did, when running for re-election against Malliotakis on Staten Island. Rose lost.
McGuire Moved up Because he Wasn't a 100% Corporate Suit, but still Remains on the Low End
How's that for a backhanded compliment? McGuire's solutions to the gun violence, is to shut down the gun shipments coming in on I-95. His solution to helping the NYC economy recover is to subsidize MWBE businesses by helping provide workforce training and enhanced technology solutions, and he suggested enabling parochial schools [non-profit religious groups] to do charters rather than for profit hedge funds - although he didn't rule out hedge funds. And in what is a typical Republican stance, he recited his distaste for government, as if we were living in America a couple of hundred years ago, when the west was wild, the buffalo roamed free.
Wiley has a Lot of Ideas, but can she Deliver?
Maya Wiley blustered her way through the beginning of the debate, before calming down and making sense. She's an attorney and civil rights activist, and as such, comes with progressive ideas, that I think may be ahead of their time. She wants to create 100,000 jobs by employing people from within communities to build their own affordable housing. She attacked Andrew Yang for his promise of creating 150,000 jobs, when his company only grew to 150 jobs. Yang explained that the company he ran wasn't where the jobs sprouted up, but rather by enabling all of these grassroots entities to start their own companies and efforts.
Wiley also said she would move $1 billion from the NYPD to provide universal care for 100,000 families. That she would stop hiring at the NYPD and something about the Police Academy and investing in people. On education Wiley said that she was educated in an overcrowded charter school, but I didn't catch anything about what she would do vis a vis education. And she told voters to hire her because she has courage.
Morales Appeared a Stronger Candidate than I First Thought but ...
Of the eight the top and second tier candidates, the one I had least exposure to was Dianne Morales. Morales was an educator, most recently working for the Phipps Company in NYC. She talked about jumpstarting the economy by working with non-profit community groups, funneling 80 cents on the dollar back to them. She, and for that matter, none of the candidates talked about how they were going to fund their grandiose job creation efforts.
When it came to education, Morales talked about how the curriculum at many schools doesn't resonate with many in the student body and therefore fails them.
This comment resonated with me, as during the CoVid pandemic and before, I had taken to watching PBS documentaries that cover the history of African Americans, other ethnic minorities and women, that raised my awareness of how the entire system has been skewed toward white males. I think we all recognize that we, as a society, need to open up parallel channels, curriculums, institutions, arts, culture and media for other gender(s) and other ethnicities to live up to the philosophies embedded in the U.S. Constitution.
Bear in mind that the institutions were designed a long time ago, when the U.S. was primarily a white, male dominated society, and so in the historical context they served their purposes well enough for many years, which is why the institutions and programs survived. But things have dramatically changed over the past couple of hundred of years, and the institutions and the curriculae must keep pace with the times.
Again on education, Morales said that the schools need to use the city as a classroom, which will expand the space available for learning, not to mention leveraging the tremendous resources available to us here. She said this will expose and excite kids to the possibilities that may await them if they perform. I thought this was an excellent idea.
Morales ended the debate by saying she's a single mom of two kids. She's imperfect. She faced inequalities and challenges and when she fell, she got back up, and that's what has made this city great and will see us through.
I did a bit of research after the fact, and Dianne Morales has had some campaign management issues, including the loss of a top manager and a union, so these management / leadership issues also need to be factored into people's voting decisions.
Andrew Yang - Remained One of My Top Three but ...
There's no doubt that Andrew Yang is a very personable, likeable guy. He is easily the one with whom I'd most enjoy sitting down with to have a beer. Does that matter? To an extent. Part of any leadership position is selling your ideas, program and ultimately self. But I can't say that likeability has ever been the driving impetus behind someone getting my vote.
Yang was attacked by a number of the other candidates, perhaps because he continues to be one of the leading candidates and because he is so likeable. One rival said Yang missed a number of NYC Mayoral votes. So what? Another accused him of overpromising on jobs [that exchange is explained above] - even as most of the candidates promised hundreds of thousands of new jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs.
Yang wants to get the kids back in school. He rightly noted that sports and socializing are both important to building / rounding out the full person [team building and interpersonal skills respectively]. Yang was the only of two to give a straight answer regarding his second choice [Garcia]. Donovan was the other and he said Wiley. All the others said that they hadn't yet made up their minds [yeah].
Yang also said that now is a good time to reach out to the disadvantaged by using some of the federal money to enable high speed internet to all [he noted that 29% of kids didn't have access to high speed internet during the pandemic]. He gave de Blasio a B for overall performance, which is an assessment with which I agree. Everyone else I have spoken to who is critical of de Blasio seems to rely on mega billionaire Murdoch's mendacious media [primarily Fox News & NY Post, but also Channel 9 TV and the Wall St Journal and increasingly ABC TV] which leave out de Blasio's accomplishments, sensationalize any short term negatives, and hype allegations and innuendo while leaving out key facts.
Yang also noted that he had more grassroots donors than any other candidate on stage. But it's worth mentioning that he likely leverage the donor database he built while running for president.
Garcia, Stringer & Adams have been Covered Previously
In our reporting leading up to the debate, we had previously posted reports covering Garcia, Stringer and Adams. As you can probably tell, I'm not hot for any of them, but conversely I find only a couple of the candidates that truly put me off. What you have left, is a number of interesting candidates, with widely varying qualifications, a couple of whom are strongly supported by vested interests, who in my mind are looking to plunder the public purse.
The two public office holders, Stringer and Adams, appear thus far to have been the biggest beneficiaries of special interest cash. That is in part why they're down near the bottom on my selection set. Stringer has repeatedly appeared to favor those who fund him over those who voted for him, while Adams seems one of the most conservative candidates running on the Democratic ticket. It's worth mentioning that Adams was a Republican, and that Australian born billionaire propagandist Rupert Murdoch's NY Post has endorsed Adams. Miser Murdoch seems never to give something for nothing, which is why I consider this tidbit worth noting.
This is why Garcia is still on top for me. Because so far, we've not seen those strong special interest ties, she is apparently competent having served well in both the Bloomberg and de Blasio Administrations, and appears to have one of the best backgrounds / skillsets needed to be an effective mayor.
This is not an endorsement, as I'm a jaded voter, who doesn't really trust most folks in public office. A few have surprised me to the good, but most have not surprised me with the bad. It's a democracy. We get a choice. And then we cross our fingers and hope for the best. And if it doesn't work out, we try to change things the next time around.
Thanks for paying attention and have a good week.
Things to Do This Weekend in NYC
Now - Open Streets Continue, Street Fairs have Returned including City Island Art & Crafts Fair, Uncorked Wine Festival in Historic Richmond Town, The St Nicholas Avenue Festival and things to do at the Green at Lincoln Center, Tribeca Film Fest Begins 6/9, Brooklyn Conservatory Concerts Start Friday June 11 & the East Side Access Tunnel Completed
Soon - Gay Pride Parade Returns 6/27, but Bans Gay NYPD participants [Geeeessshhh when does the exclusion stop?], Shakespeare in the Park Returns 7/5, NY Auto Show Returns 8/20, Hip Hop Museum Broke Ground in Bx in May & to open 2024
Weather. The Temperature highs will be close to 80 on Friday, rising to 90 for Saturday and Sunday. The temperature lows will be in the mid 60's on Friday, rising to the low 70's on Saturday and Sunday. A bit of rain is in the forecast on Friday only between 8 am - 6 pm. Winds will range between 5 - 10 mph all weekend. The Humidity will be about 80% Friday, down to 60% Saturday and 50% on Sunday.
The sign to your right was found in the yard of a Queens resident. It reminded me of some of the signs my mother used to put up around the house, to instruct us kids, in a manner she deemed appropriate.
NYC is Rumbling, Like the Earth Before an Earthquake
I can see it in my email box, once made manageable by the CoVid pandemic. And now ... ever so steadily ... I see it filling back up as the big city begins to awake from its pandemic slumber. At once heartening, but also scary, as I feel a flood of activity coming, almost to great to bear. Woe is me?
So this weekend, as you can see by the headlines - Open Streets Continues, Street Fairs Returned Last Weekend, The Green at Lincoln Center continues, the City Island Arts & Crafts fair in the Bronx Saturday and Sunday, Tribeca Film Fest Begins Wednesday 6/9 and the Brooklyn Conservatory Concerts Start Friday June 11.
The Streets & Outdoors Coming Alive First
Given what we've just been through, noting that only 40% of the population is fully vaccinated and that only about 50% of the population has one or more shots - then staying out doors makes infinite sense - especially while we can for the next six months.
The CoVid numbers have been falling steadily, so all the trends are in the right direction. And if we stay outdoors, mask up indoors or in close quarters, and urge family and friends to get vaccinated, it could be one helluva summer. To that end last weekend we saw the first of the summer fairs hit the streets, as well as open streets return on the weekends, and the Lincoln Center green attract folks to watch the performing arts after a long hiatus.
Street Fairs Returned Last Weekend & Continue Through the Year
In Manhattan, there are three street fairs this weekend, with two on Satruday and one on Sunday. These generally begin at 10 am and last until 6 pm. There's the St. Nicholas Avenue Festival on Saturday, June 5th on St. Nicholas Avenue from 181st Street to 188th Street, as well as the First Avenue Festival, also on Saturday on 1st Avenue from 68th Street to 79th Street. On Sunday there's the West Side Spring Fair on Amsterdam Avenue from 73rd Street to 79th Street. Not completely sure on this one, but I believe there's a craft fair in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center this weekend from about 10 or 11 am to 6 pm.
In the Bronx, the City Island Arts & Crafts Festival runs on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm all along City Island Avenue, with the epicenter around Hawkins Street. City Island is home to a number of artists and the fair also attracts craftsmen and women and artists from around the city and beyond.
On Staten Island the Alice Austen House has partnered with Flagship Brewing to host a craft beer and arts & crafts fest from 1 pm - 4 pm at 40 Minthorne Street on Saturday. There's also a return of the Uncorked Wine Festival from 12 noon to 6 pm at Historic Richmond Town. Also on Saturday there's the Victory Blvd street festival at Wescott Blvd in the Castleton Corners section of the island, from 11 am - 1 pm, which includes entertainment, food and shopping. All weekend there's the SI Mall Carnival which began May 27 and runs through June 13th. On the weekends it's open from noon to 11 pm and on weekdays from 5 pm - 10 pm, with an entrance fee of $5. There's food and rides and shopping.
Lincoln Center Green - Bollywood Friday 6/4 at 4 pm
Beginning at 4 pm there will be a Bollywood dance performance by the Anja Dance Company on the Green at Lincoln Center outdoors.
Summer Events Announcements - Gay Pride Parade, Shakespeare in the Park, NY Auto Show & Universal Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx Underway
So there's been a stream of announcements, of returning events, that are likely to continue throughout the summer. The Gay Pride Parade is set to return on Sunday, June 27th, and in 'bitch-like fashion' the parade has banned the NYPD from participating, likely in retaliation for prior treatment. Moving on?
Shakespeare in the Park is set to return to Delacorte Theater in Central Park beginning July 5th and to run through the summer. While capacity will be limited, they intend to run for a longer period of time.
The iconic image at right caught my eye as I was passing a construction site. What does it mean? Dunno. Street art, music and theater are part of what makes the Big Apple, Big Melting Pot so interesting.
The NY Auto Show is set to return to our fair city on August 20th and run through the following week at the Javits Center. Normal seems like it's a comin'.
The Universal Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx FINALLY broke ground after being talked about for somewhere between a half decade to a decade, possibly longer. The new museum is part of a south Bronx development just north of the 145th Street Bridge between the Harlem River and the Major Deegan - not far from Franz Sigel Park and adjacent to the Concourse, Melrose and Mott Haven neighborhoods. The museum is expected to be completed in 2024.
Next Week - Tribeca Film Festival Begins 6/9, Brooklyn Conservatory Concerts Start Friday June 11 & the East Side Access Tunnel Completed
The Tribeca Film Festival begins on Wednesday 6/9. They are offering a number of complimentary tickets, so many of the live screenings have been sold out, but there's still plenty available as of this posting [but it's next week so if you want to attend, you better get moving]. For details see their website which includes both live and streamed events.
https://tribecafilm.com/festival
On Friday 6/11 there's a live Brooklyn Conservatory of Music concert from 7 pm to 9 pm at 58 Seventh Street in Brooklyn. It's free and you can rsvp at www.bkcm.org.
Last week it was announced that the major construction efforts on the $11 billion, 15 year old East Side Access Tunnel was reportedly completed. There's more detail work to complete on the tunnel that connects Queens and Manhattan and it's now on schedule to be opened in sometime in 2022. It is estimated that the new tunnel will cut 40 minutes off a Long Islander's commute.
The photo at right shows the MTA workmen of a construction project last weekend. Oftentimes the rails are hampered with construction / maintenance projects that get underway with the warmer weather in the unrelenting task of maintaining a subway system built around a century ago. Some parts of the line are older than that, and some are newer, as the system was developed in spurts.
Enjoy your weekend but take appropriate sunscreen and cooling precautions as it's gonna be a hot one.
Memorial Day Weekend Things To Do on Staten Island NYC
Things To Do on Staten Island over the Memorial Day Weekend
Weather.Memorial Day Weekend Forecast as of 5/28/21. The temperature highs will be in the mid to mid 60's Friday, dropping to the 50's on Saturday and Sunday, rising to the low 70's Monday. The temperature lows will be in the low 50's on Friday and Saturday, rising to the high 50's on Sunday and Monday. Yes there's Rain in the forecast on Friday [1.5 inches], and about a third of an inch on Saturday and Sunday, with Monday being clear. Winds will range between 10 - 20 mph Friday and Saturday, falling to 5 - 10 Sunday and a calm 5 mph on Monday. The Humidity will be 80% - 100% on Friday, 60% - 80% on Saturday, and 50% - 60% the rest of the weekend.
Weather. The temperature highs will rise into the mid 70's on Tuesday, mid to high 80's on Wednesday and Thursday, and then drop into the 60's for the Memorial Day Weekend. The temperature lows will be in the mid 60's on Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping into the mid to high 50's the rest of the week, including the Memorial Day Weekend. There's a 50% chance of about a third of an inch of rain Wednesday and 65% chance of about three quarters of an inch of rain on Friday, but otherwise it should be clear sailing ahead for the entire week and weekend. Humidity is 50% - 70% on Tuesday and Wednesday, falling into the mid 40% range on Thursday, and climbing back to the 70% range on Friday. Humidity will be in the 40% - 50% range through the weekend. Winds will be 5 - 10 mph except on Saturday.
Will Kathryn Garcia Break Some Glass & Kick Some A_s?
If the ads shown by the NYC Mayoral candidates were a proxy for what we're gonna get, then - by a long shot - I would have to go with Kathryn Garcia.
Most of the ads run by NYC's mayoral candidates smell like the same warmed over hash we've been watching for decades. Scott Stringer's ads tell us that he's a family man like one of us. Eric Adams tells us he'll be tough and fair like he was a a policeman. Andrew Yang, who broke through the noise for a brief period in the Democratic presidential primary, also seems to pursue the theme that he's one of us. It's worth noting that part of Yang's breakthrough in the Democratic candidate national field was due in part to the fact that he was reportedly the first Asian American to run for president on the Democratic ticket [Bobby Jindahl ran as a Republican before him]. Maya Wiley is running ads that tell us she's a Mom [one of us] who will fight for our kids.
And then there's Kathryn Garcia's ad.
Cut the crap. Short and not so sweet. A touch of underlying humor. Connecting to the modern era of comic book heroes, or maybe even Austin Powers, breaking out of a fire cabinet that looks a lot like a superman / superwoman phone booth. Not so vaguely blasting the historical gender bias, that looks like a glass ceiling, in the two centuries old NYC Mayoral Office.
It's a ten second commercial that's fully loaded. It says a lot about her. Creative, unabashedly female but with the swagger of a man, and a terribly efficient well messaged commercial because her campaign is only funded at what I would call the second tier of candidates. But with nearly a quarter of voters still undecided, and perhaps even some of the decideds trying to make up their mind, Garcia's chances of becoming the next NYC Mayor seem to grow daily.
A Brief History of the NYC Mayoralty vis a vis The Current Primary on 6/22
In the 1800's through the mid 1900's the Irish and the English controlled the office of NYC Mayor [Tammany Hall in the 1800's and 1900's].
In 1934 Fiorello LaGuardia, the 99th NYC Mayor, opened door for the Italian Americans, and since then four of the last eleven mayors have been Italian Americans. In 1974 Abraham Beame, the 104th NYC Mayor, became the first practicing Jewish American Mayor [LaGuardia's mother was part Jewish but he was raised Episcopalian] and since then three of the last six NYC Mayors have been Jewish Americans. In 1990 David Dinkins became the first African American Mayor and is still the only one. And there have not been any Asian American nor female NYC Mayors.
Andrew Yang would be the first Asian American Mayor of NYC ever. Eric Adams would be the second African American Mayor of NYC of the past five NYC Mayors. Stringer would be the fourth Jewish American Mayor of NYC of the past seven NYC Mayors. And Kathryn Garcia would be the first female Mayor of NYC ever.
What the Polls and Campaign Spending Say
Garcia's poll numbers went from 4% in March to 10% in May. The candidate currently leading the pack is Eric Adams at 18%, which is down from 19% in prior polling. Stringer and Yang are at 15%, Yang's candidacy continuing to fall [was at 28% in the beginning due to name recognition] in spite of some good measure of ad spending, while Stringer's poll numbers went up, but Stringer spent heavily on advertising in order to do so.
And, as previously mentioned, a quarter [22%] of voters remain undecided.
Stringer has $3.5 million left to spend, while Yang has $2.5, Wiley has $1.0, Garcia has $1.5, Shaun Donovan $1.9, Eric Adams $5.3 and Raymond McGuire $3.5. From a financial point of view, the field is becoming far more competitive based on the polls, and who has money left to spend. Adams and Stringer are still in the top tier, Yang is sliding fast not just in poll numbers but in cash, and Ray McGuire almost looks like Michael Bloomberg did in the presidential election - meaning that in spite of all of his money - he doesn't appear to be resonating with the voters. Wiley has held her ground poll-wise, but had to spend to do so, and Shaun Donovan, like McGuire, appears to be popular with the moneyed class, but doesn't appear to have connected with any large voting block.
Garcia is Now Neck and Neck with Wiley as the Leading Female & has the Most Momentum
And then there's Kathryn Garcia. The Dark Horse, not-so-quietly pulling within racing distance on Adams, Stringer and Yang, while managing her cash, grabbing a considerable amount of attention for someone who used to manage our garbage collection, and now tied as the leading front runner female with momentum.
Garcia picked up endorsements for her candidacy from the New York Times and the NY Daily News.
Kathryn Garcia - A Brief Look at Her History
Kathryn Garcia grew up in an educated household as her father was xyz in the Koch Administration and her mother was an English teacher. She attended Stuyvesant, one of the leading public schools in NYC, and then headed west, young woman, for Madison, Wisconsin where she attended college majoring in history and economics. She was married, now divorced, with two children and she lives in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn.
Professionally, most of her experience is in NYC municipal government, in various positions from financial to garbage collection / environmental recycling, to a brief stint managing the NYCHA crisis a couple of years ago, to food distribution during the CoVid pandemic. Most folks think she's an effective manager, and I found one critic regarding her brief stint managing NYCHA.
Kathryn Garcia - A Brief Look at Her Positions
I look at the primary functions of the NYC Mayor as being: 1) education - managing the public school system, 2) ensuring public safety - managing the NYPD / law enforcement, 3) affordable housing - ensuring people have some sort of liveable home, and 4) managing the budget. NYC's public transit system is run by the Governor and New York State as part of the deal brokered in the 1970's when NYS bailed out NYS from a financial mess. To be sure there are many other less controversial and less time-consuming functions which are part of the mayoral domain as well, including promoting the city for work and tourism, some of which includes supporting the arts & culture, and making sure the parks and streets are clean et al. But the underlying building blocks driving the future of the city centers around the four primary mayoral functions outlined above.
Garcia has been careful in laying out her positions, in a nuanced way which - provides her with the flexibility required to effectively negotiate - should she become mayor. The other top tier candidates appear to have more or less committed themselves to special interest groups, which include the hedge fund managers salivating at the prospect of privatizing the NYC public school system and the rich and powerful real estate developers as well as the many powerful unions working for / negotiating with the city.
Education
In so far as I've gotten with the research, it appears Kathryn Garcia has a nuanced position on charter schools. Since her mother was a teacher, for the moment I'm going to assume that she wouldn't be in favor of privatizing the public school system, but could use non profit charters as a bargaining chip with the teachers union to spur performance / achievement. Garcia was a successful office holder in both the Bloomberg and de Blasio administrations - but I hope to complete this research before the primary - so stay tuned.
Public Safety
In so far as I've gotten with the research, it appears Kathryn Garcia favors some police reform. But it's nowhere near the defund the police cries from some on the far left.
Affordable Housing
In so far as I've gotten with the research, it appears Kathryn Garcia has a nuanced position on Mandatory Inclusionary Housing. But so far the reports I've seen delve into the issues, which implies she's engaging on policy with the reporters, which is a good sign because it shows thought.
NYC Finances
In so far as I've gotten with the research, it appears Kathryn Garcia is a very capable manager of finances. She's done a lot with a little in her NYC Mayoral candidacy.
Conclusion - Garcia is one of Two or Possibly the Leading Woman, She has the Most Momentum & is Likely a Top Tier Choice by Election Day
With 22% of voters undecided, and none of the top tier candidates anywhere even remotely close to a majority, the candidacy of Kathryn is looking increasingly competitive. If elected, Garcia would be the first female Mayor of NYC. A municipal rags to riches story as she would have risen from being in charge of garbage collection to being in charge of the entire city.
It's shaping up to be an interesting election. More coming soon.
How Would a Mayor Eric Adams Govern?
He Seems to Favor Charter Schools & They Seem to Favor Him, He's Pulled in the Most Real Estate Cash & He has Indicated He'll Reverse Course a bit on Police Reform & ...
Last week I did a report snapshotting what I know about Scott Stringer's political career that leads me to think he's not to be trusted.
Stringer takes big public stands on what I would call generic Democratic issues over which he has little influence - gender equality, race and climate change - while speaking with forked tongue on issues over which he has considerable influence - like real estate developments, local education, public libraries and the pension fund investments - that significantly impact the local communities, neighborhoods and unions.
In that report I also noted how Stringer seems opportunistic in compromising his stances [for example in education and the public library system] in order to capitalize on what he seems to think are self enhancing career opportunities. And Stringer also seems to have used the power and authority of government positions entrusted to him by the people, to aid those who fund his campaigns, possibly trading what's good for the people, in exchange for what's good for Scott Stringer.
Stringer hit my radar nearly a decade ago, while Eric Adams only hit my radar a few years ago. So I'm less familiar with Adams career than Stringer's. But in doing the research, I found that Eric Adams appears to be a slow steady hand, whose positions have evolved over time ... and I would add that generally they appear to have evolved carefully.
1. Eric Adams - Public Schools & Education
Pro Charter Schools & What that Means
FOR PROFIT Charter Schools, don't seem to solve the failing schools problem, but rather shift the and split the problem burdens, while privatizing and gutting a significant portion of the public school system. I began reporting on education during the Bloomberg era, wherein Bloomberg's Administration seemed to split public schools into two smaller entities, and then parcel out the achieving students / families via charter recruitment to the privately run for profit charters, while leaving the lower performing students / families in the care of unions and the general public. It seemed to me they didn't really solve anything, and sucked needed capital out of the public school system, putting it in the hands of the venture capitalists who were funding them.
This situation appeared to me not unlike what the insurance industry had done prior to Obamacare - whereby the insurance companies recruited healthy people for health insurance, and avoided signing those who weren't healthy in order to enhance their economic performance. To me this goes against the grain of what America is all about - which is equal opportunity for all. The privatization of the public schools by the predatory for profit charters would turn the public education system into the haves and have nots.
*** It's worth noting that NON-PROFIT CHARTERS evolved for different reasons and provided a healthy challenge to the union run public education system and I view far more favorably than the for profit charters.
Eric Adams is Receiving Significant Pro Charter Campaign Support
I found that Eric Adams has been a supporter of charter schools for many years of his political career. According to a May 6, 2021 report in Politico,
" ... An executive at an organization that lobbies on behalf of charter schools is launching a fundraising effort to boost the mayoral candidacy of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams — the latest push by special interests to influence the upcoming Democratic primary contest ... Jenny Sedlis, executive director of pro-charter group StudentsFirstNY, has taken a leave of absence to lead a political action committee on Adams’ behalf ... "
During his career, Adams has supported charter schools and expansion.
2. Eric Adams - Real Estate Developers / Affordable Housing
Eric Adams is Receiving Significant Real Estate Developer Support
According to an April 20, 2021 report in City Limits, a non-profit journalism website,
" ... Eric Adams has received more campaign contributions from the real-estate sector than any other candidate for mayor. The Brooklyn borough president has booked at least $283,000 from donors who identified themselves as working in real estate, construction, land development or property management—nearly twice as much as financier Ray McGuire, the next biggest recipient of real-estate generosity, and more than five times as much as frontrunner Andrew Yang ... "
Thus, Adams has received more real estate developer donations than any other candidate and real estate developers are generally known to be tight with a buck and rarely - if ever - give something for nothing.
It's also worth pointing out who some of the people are, who are working for or in support of the Adams' campaign. According to a May 6, 2021 report in Politico,
" ... Sedlis is working with Jason Ortiz, a political consultant who used to work for the Hotel Trades Council, which endorsed Adams’ bid in March. Katie Moore, who succeeded Ortiz as the union’s political director, is managing the Adams campaign..."
As mentioned above, Sedlis is a for profit charter school lobbyist, who has taken time off to manage a PAC for Adams.
Eric Adams Track Record with the Real Estate Development Community
According to the City Limits report noted above, Adams approved 86% of the proposed developments or rezonings associated with the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure [ULURP], while Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, a progressive, approved 78%. It's not just the percent approvals that matter, but in how hard the borough president negotiates before the final approval. As mentioned in the report I posted on Stringer last week, Stringer signed off on several massive real estate developments that were strongly opposed by the communities he was elected to represent. In one of them, the Midtown East development, after Stringer signed off on it, the proposal was scuttled and redone by the incoming Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer with the help of NYC Councilmember Garodnick.
In one telling sign, Adams veered away from supporting Mayor de Blasio's push for Mandatory Inclusionary Housing. The City Limits report tells us,
" ... in 2015, the Manhattan and Queens borough presidents testified and the Bronx BP submitted testimony but Adams did not [about the Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program]; he did vote earlier to oppose the measure when the Brooklyn Borough Board considered it..."
According to the NYC Council website,
" ... Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) is a zoning tool developed by the Department of City Planning and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, which requires developers to include affordable housing in areas that are rezoned to allow for more housing development..."
That seems straight forward enough. Why wouldn't Brooklyn Borough President Adams support this program and what does that tell us about how he would approach affordable housing going forward?
3. Eric Adams History with the Police
Reportedly Having Been Beaten by a Policeman as a Kid, Adams Joins the NYPD & Rises to Captain as an Adult, Forms Group Called '100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care' & Advocates for Change
Adams had voiced concerns about abusive policing while still on the force over two decades ago. Adams joined with about 100 other Black police officers to advocate for an investigation into the abuse of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima. In 1997 Louima was sodomized and so severely beaten while in police custody, that he had to undergo three surgeries. Louima won a lawsuit against the NYPD and the NYPBA [the police union] worth $8.7 million.
Eric Adams and the NYPD Budget
In June of 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests, Eric Adams called for a reduction in the police budget by over $1 billion. According to a June 22, 2020 report in the NY Daily News,
" ... recommends the city drastically convert some NYPD units to an 80% civilian workforce, conduct forensic audits of the department’s “notoriously opaque” budget and reduce overtime. Such efforts would result in reducing the budget by $1 billion or more... "
Today it's a bit unclear what Adams would do with the NYPD budget as he has called for adding back the plainsclothes unit [see below].
Eric Adams Advocates for a Return of Plainsclothes Policing Which is the Unit That Had Attracted a Great Number of Civilian Complaints of Abuse of Police Power
Eric Adams has said that he will reinstitute plainclothes policing to add teeth to the NYPD's policing effort. According to a May 9, 2021 report by Streets Blog NYC, a local blog that is part of a multi-city web group working for transportation reform,
" ... The NYPD’s Anti-Crime unit was disbanded last June; its officers garnered a substantial number of complaints from New Yorkers for harassment and unlawful searches. The officers were also involved in a disproportionate amount of fatal police shootings..."
Streets Blog had sourced the above information from the Gothamist and the Intercept.
A Brief & Proper Look at NYC Current Crime Statistics
Be Wary of Reporting by the Manipulative Murdoch Media Outlets & the Sometimes Clueless Corporate Media
So we all keep seeing these reports about how out of control the crime is in our fair city, but that broadbrush news reporting doesn't accurately describe what's happening, providing no insight nor understanding as to what's really going on.
Yes, violent / gun crimes are up, but it's important to understand why they are up, and who is empowered to make the changes required to rein those crimes back in.
Comparing the crime statistics versus a year ago doesn't seem to provide much insight about what's really happening, any more than comparing year to year inflation figures does - as we saw last week. Last year was an anomaly because of the pandemic, which skewed many statistics way out of focus - including on the economy and crime.
I think it's more meaningful to compare the April 2021 NYPD crime statistics versus April of 2019 crime statistics. TWO YEARS AGO crime was near all time lows and before the pandemic began. When you make that comparison, NYC crime is down in all major categories except gun related shootings and murders, and grand larceny auto theft which the NYPD calls GLA for brevity [see chart]. This provides a much more intelligent look at what's going on. In summary shootings and murders are up, as is grand larceny auto theft while everything else - including the transit crimes that everyone is talking about - is down[see chart].
So I'll dispense with grand larceny auto first and say that - in a nutshell - the pandemic hit the lower classes hardest and many of them are financially strapped. So I theorize that some of these people, who might have been gainfully employed two years ago, and may have had a small financial cushion, might have lost everything and may be facing eviction and thus may have decided to steal their way back to normal. My grandmother used to say,
"Idle hands are the work of the devil."
Once these folks are back to work and making a decent living, they're not likely to be out committing crimes. And that white collar workers have left the city to telecommute during the pandemic, may also factor into things, as their cars might be sitting idle and the observant criminal takes note of that.
3.a. Guns & Shootings & Need for National Gun Legislation
NYC Shootings, Murders & GUN SALES are up in 2020
There were 8.5 Million First Time American Gun Buyers in 2020
Gun Sales Continued in 2021 - January Gun Sales Up 60 - 80%
Gun sales soared in 2020 to a full year record of over 40 million, as fear spread throughout the land because of the pandemic and some of the social unrest that followed. Of those sales, 8.5 million of them were reportedly to first time gun owners. There are about 330 million people living in the U.S. and about 20% or 66 million are children, so that's a huge number of guns IN ONE YEAR for the remaining 264 million adults.
In the tristate area, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut saw an increase in gun sales from the year 2000 to 2020 of between 250% - 300%. With more guns on the streets, more first time buyers / users, why would anyone doubt that there's going to be more gun violence / crime? This is a social / criminal problem that needs to be fixed legislatively by reducing the guns on the streets.
Americans own 120 guns per 100 residents. That's far more than one gun per person. Wikipedia tells us that according to a Small Arms Survey taken in 2018, Americans own 46% of all the civilian owned guns [393 million guns] in the world, while we represent between 4% - 5% of the world's population. That means Americans, ON AVERAGE, own TEN TIMES more guns per person than the people in the rest of the world. But the numbers look even more skewed, when you factor in that only about 32% of Americans actually own a gun according to an August 14, 2019 report by Gallup, a polling company.
Republicans & Murdoch's Fox New / NY Post Seem NOT True Friends of the Police
Billionaire propagandist, Rupert Murdoch and Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy can't claim themselves to be friends of the police, yet they continue to thwart efforts at meaningful gun control legislation. Police die on our streets because guns are freely available to those who aren't qualified nor fit to responsibly use them.
An August 12, 2019 report by the Center for American Progress, a non-profit tells us the following,
" ... A 2017 study found that guns equipped with high-capacity magazines made up between 22 percent and 36 percent of crime guns in the United States. A 2010 report from the Police Executive Research Forum noted that more than one-third of U.S. police agencies reported increased use of assault weapons following the expiration of the federal ban. In 2018, Baltimore Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle stated that one-third of guns recovered in criminal investigations were equipped with high-capacity magazines... "
So when Murdoch and the Republicans say they care about the police, you ask them what they're doing about getting assault weapons off the street.
SHOW 2ND AMENDMENT
Understanding the Role of the Second Amendment
I support the Second Amendment and believe that homeowners should be allowed to keep a firearm in their home to use in the event someone makes an unlawful entry. I also believe that hunters and sportsmen should be able to own guns for recreational purposes like hunting. Every year about 15 million Americans, mostly men, go out into the woods to stalk through the forest to bring home some game while keeping the deer population under control.
But the Second Amendment doesn't give citizens the right to own weapons of mass destruction and weapons of war. Citizens aren't allowed to possess bombs, grenades, bazookas, cannons and rocket launchers except when used in a theater of war under the training, direction and supervision of the U.S. Armed Forces.
I believe the Founders made freedom of Speech the First Amendment for the same reason they made right to bear arms the Second Amendment, which it to hold the rich and powerful in check, to prevent the exploitation of the commoners as was done by kings and royalty in the past. Any weapon of mass destruction could be creatively configured to fit the definition of gun, so it's time for us to use our collective common sense to try to stay true to the intent of the Second Amendment, without significantly compromising public safety, by managing gun control to stay abreast of the changing technology and changing times. That is the point of the elastic clause.
Nations like Russia and China are still struggling with their significantly skewed distribution of wealth and their exploitation of the working classes, by treating them like Russian serfs and Chinese peasants. This helps explain why both of these autocratically controlled states have limited gun ownership - especially in China. In 2014 Putin relaxed some of the gun ownership rules.
Are Assault Weapons Really Guns - Or are they Weapons of War?
So why should they be allowed to own assault rifles, like the AR 15 or the AK 47, capable of firing 600 rounds in a minute? Editor's Note - the assault weapons are modified to dispense one bullet per trigger pull prior to civilian sale. What common good or national purpose does permitting these weapons to be sold to anyone 18 years or older serve? The AK stands for automatic Kalashnikov, which is a SOVIET assault weapon that has killed more humans than the nuclear bomb, or any other weapon.
Think about that.
An August 12, 2020 story by Insider tells us that,
"... The AK-47 is the deadliest weapon ever built, on the whole. Its kill count even tops nuclear weapons in sheer numbers... The worldwide availability and durability of the AK-47 also makes it an attractive weapon for terrorists, militias and other illegal paramilitary organizations. Whether they're trying to take over a military base ... or overthrowing a government ... the AK-47 works really well in every environment, is always available (usually at a steep discount) and will still work even if it falls into water, mud, sand or some other muck ... The average lifespan of a terrorist in a gunfight isn't very long, so that rifle is likely going to hit the ground, and someone is going to need it to work when they pick it up. The terrorist group is definitely going to need a cheap replacement ..."
FYI - The AR of AR 15 stands for Armalite Rifle. Armalite is the manufacturer of the weapon.
According to an August 12, 2019 report by the Center for American Progress, a non-profit,
" ... Following the expiration of the ban in 2004, assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again became legal to manufacture and purchase, and the gun industry responded with renewed fervor, flooding the civilian consumer market with these guns. Since the expiration of the federal ban, assault weapons and high-capacity magazines have been used to perpetrate some of the deadliest public mass shootings in modern U.S. history:
On August 3, 2019, in El Paso, Texas, 46 people were shot, 22 fatally.
On February 14, 2018, in Parkland, Florida, 34 people were shot, 17 fatally.
On November 5, 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas, 46 people were shot, 26 fatally.
On October 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, 480 people were shot, 58 fatally.
On June 12, 2016, in Orlando, Florida, 102 people were shot, 49 fatally.
On December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, 28 people were shot, 26 fatally.
On July 20, 2012, in Aurora, Colorado, 70 people were shot, 12 fatally. "
SHOW PUTIN W/ KALASHNIKOV
Majority of Americans Support Federal Gun Control Legislation that Includes Background Checks & Assault Weapons Ban
The Mayor [ANY MAYOR] and the NYPD Can't Fix what the NRA, the Repubican Party & Rupert Murdoch's Manipulative Mass Media have Mucked up
According to a report by Vox, Americans are four times more likely to be the victim of gun violence than people living in other industrialized nations. And assaults in America are three times more likely to involve guns than in most of the other industrialized nations around the world. If you want to know why shootings and murders are up in NYC - look at the flow of guns into the city.
And yet in spite of that NYC's murder rate rise in 2020, it was still below the national average on a per capita basis. The USA nationally had a murder rate that rose from 5 per 1000 to 6.2 per 1000 in 2020, while NYC's murder rate rose from 3.8 per 1000 in 2019 to 5 per 1000 in 2020. And yet while NYC's murder rate was well below the national average, the murder rates in Republican governed states rank among the highest.
Manipulated & Divisive Reality by Murdoch's Fox News & NY Post
They Accuse Urban Democrats of being the Cause of Violence & Crime
But FAIL to Mention Gun Control & that Republican States have the Highest Murder Rates
Seven of the ten states with the highest murder rates are run by Republican governors and generally have more lax restrictions on guns than those with the lower murder rates. The top ten states for murder in 2017 included red states like Missouri, Maryland, Arkansas, Alaska, Alabama, Mississippi and South Carolina. The Democrat run states included Louisiana, Nevada and Illinois. Which party runs a state changes with time, so I don't see this as a meaningful way to look at violence and crime. But what laws are on the books, do matter as they remain regardless of which party is in power.
I'm just pointing it out because dishonest Rupert Murdoch's Fox and NY Post periodically distort the facts to tell yet another false Murdoch narrative. Murdoch's NY Post and Fox News blame the Democrats for violence and crime - not the Republicans, nor gun control legislation, nor the guns that are used for violent crime. Why? Likely, so Murdoch can pull the strings of those he helps elect, once they've come to power, by twisting the facts about guns and violent crime so he can convince his audience to vote for those who will serve the Australian born billionaire.
Murdoch's manipulative mass media provides media protection for Republicans and the NRA, who say that guns aren't the problem. And yet in study after study it has been shown that there is a striking correlation between guns availability and gun violence. That should come as no surprise, and yet Senator John Kennedy of Louisianna says that people are the problem - not the guns. If we applied that same logic to everything, then why isn't heroin sold in candy stores? It's not the heroin that's the problem, but the people who use it.
Murdoch's Mendacious Media ONLY MUTEDLY Mentions that the Vast Majority of Americans' Favor Some Gun Control Legislation
Most Notedly are Background Checks & Actions & an Assault Weapons Ban
A March 2021 poll by USA Today and Ipsos showed that two thirds of Americans favor stricter gun control, including half of all gun owners. Democrats favor it by 90%, while Independents favor it by 66% and 35% of Republicans. Overwhelmingly, Americans favor instituting background checks for purchasers of firearms, with 55% of gun owners favoring such action including 82% of Democrats, 62% of Independents and 40% of Republicans [versus 41% who say no].
With respect to assault weapons bans, according to an August 17, 2019 report in Politico, a Politico / Morning Consult Poll showed that even a majority of Republicans support an assault weapons ban. They tell us,
" ... The poll found that nearly 70 percent of all voters would back such a ban. Support ... was higher, at 86 percent, among Democrats ... the poll found that 55 percent of GOP voters were comfortable with banning assault weapons ... 89 percent of voters want to block gun sales to people who have been reported as dangerous to law enforcement by mental health providers ... Eighty-four percent of voters want to prevent people convicted of violent misdemeanors from purchasing guns. A similar percentage, 83 percent, support limiting gun purchases to those 21 and older. Eighty percent think there should be a mandatory three-day waiting period before someone can take home a gun. And 72 percent support banning high-capacity magazines ..."
It seems there is NO GOOD REASON for Biden and the Democrats not to pass legislation with these key provisions. They are by far and away supported overwhelmingly by the majority of Americans. So to hell with Rupert Murdoch, his Fox Nation Republicans and the NRA. This sort of legislation wouldn't take away their guns, only ensure that those who do own them are responsible and deserve the privilege, and it would save not just the lives of policemen and women around the nation, but the lives of all Americans.
POLL GRAPH
STUDY RESULTS OF GUN RESTRICTION / VIOLENCE
We CANNOT Expect Any NYC Mayor & NYPD to Fix what is a LEGISLATIVE Gun Control Problem ... on Their Own
While Mayor de Blasio, Commissioner Shea and the NYPD will likely do all that they can to remove guns from the streets, they really can't be expected to solve this problem themselves. And neither would Eric Adams, were he elected Mayor. The tristate area governors could help by coordinating and possibly standardizing their statewide gun policies based on best practices, to help law enforcement rein in the free flow of weapons to people who may not be fit to use them in a responsible manner.
But ultimately it rests with the Congress, the Senate and the President to pass meaningful gun control legislation to ensure that laws stay abreast of the times. It's important that we not allow the NRA and Senate Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Congressional Republicans like Kevin McCarthy, hold the nation at gunpoint to keep the flow of guns running up and down our nation's streets.
I think the points outlined in the last paragraph of the previous section would be a solid, meaningful step in the right direction. Both sides can then take a breath and see how things play out.
But in the meantime, crime statistics and comparisons to last year aren't likely to be meaningful, so the comparisons should be against 2019. That said, most crime is down, except for the gun related shootings and murders, and fixing that is going to take time because gun sales have run rampant during the pandemic. An intelligent, compromising, national gun control based on most Americans' wishes seems within reach? And would go either a long way or at least some of the way in fixing violent, gun related shootings and murders in our fair city and the nation.
Australian Billionaire Propagandist Endorses Adams via His NY Post
Rupert Murdoch, the crusty 90 year old billionaire, who appears to use his media outlets as one big propaganda machine, endorsed Eric Adams candidacy for Mayor this past week. In the Democratic primary in NYC, Eric Adams - once a Republican [1990's] and a former police officer - is likely the most conservative / moderate candidate in the viable field of Democratic candidates, which is likely why Murdoch endorsed him via the NY Post, as nobody else seems to come close.
Setting aside the Adams candidacy for the moment, it's worth pointing out that Murdoch generally endorses candidates who will bow to his will, or minimally, will refrain from taxing the mega billionaire any further. That said, Murdoch appears a thankless man who will relentlessly attack whomever is elected, unless that person is a Murdoch patsy, like so many in the Republican Party here in America, the Conservative Party in Britain, and the right leaning Liberal Party in Australia [see our special report Murdoch Media Madness - Fox Fakes the News]. When pols bow to Murdoch's will they appear to get his 'media protection', which is oftentimes why weak government officials / pols seem to strike a deal with the dark lord, Darth Murdoch.
Conclusion - It's Not Exactly Clear What an Adams Mayoralty Would be but ...
An Eric Adams Mayoralty Would Likely Roll Back Some of de Blasio's Progressivism in Housing, Police Reform and Education
It's difficult to truly assess what kind of Mayor Eric Adams will be at this point in his career and the campaign. He's one of the most conservative candidates running in the Democratic Primary, but as said before a conservative NYC Democrat is a moderate in the rest of the nation.
The big questions about an Adams mayoralty don't center around his integrity and character, like they do with Scott Stringer, but rather around how dramatically he will alter the progressive course of action pursued during the de Blasio Administration. Most notably in education vis a vis the possible expansion of for profit charter schools, and in policing vis a vis reform and funding. Lastly, the fact that Eric Adams is the favored choice of real estate developer funding as of late Spring and endorsed by the NY Post, are both of great concern because these sorts of people generally don't give something for nothing.
Thanks for taking the time to learn more about who's running for Mayor. There's more to come as we near the election. I'll add photos and clean up any errors at a later date.
Have a good week.
This Weekend Things To Do NYC & News Updates
Perfect Weather Weekend, NYC Institutions doing more Blended Virtual & Live Programming, Lincoln Center ReAwakens, Bronx Week Ending, Bike Blvds Coming This Summer, Some Open Streets to Continue, Kids 12 - 15 Now Eligible for Vaccinations, Some Subway Stations Giving Free Vaccinations, Tourism Coming Back, Subway Safety & Resumption of 24/7 Service & Economic Snapshot
Weather. The temperature highs will be in the mid 70's, while the temperatures lows will be in the mid 50's all weekend. No rain is in the forecast. The humidity will range between 40% and 60%, rising as the weekend progresses. Winds will be 5 - 10 mph.
In the photo at right you can see folks emerging from the subway station near Union Square in Manhattan. The photo seems a metaphor for where we're at in the pandemic, emerging, but not quite there.
Lincoln Center goes Green
So, on this first weekend of the newly 'greened' Lincoln Center pavilion, there are a couple of live performances on Saturday which are open to the public for free via a ticket lottery in order to maintain some sort of CoVid discipline. The first performance is at 11 am for kids and the second is at 7.30 pm but unfortunately has been sold out. They're going to continue this live programming through May, so if you're interested cut and paste this link to their website for future shows - https://www.lincolncenter.org/lincoln-center-at-home . They're also providing some virtually streamed videos which are a mix of documentaries and performance. Free.
Bronx Week Ends This Weekend at Orchard Beach
On Saturday Bronx Week will host two live events as it winds down. The first is the Walk of Fame event at 10 am the whereabouts of which, remains unclear. If I hear back from the Bronx Borough President's Office in time, I will post the location. The second event begins at 12 noon at Orchard Beach and it's a Drive-In Grand Finale Concert. I believe it's a first come - first serve parking spot event. Free.
Mayor de Blasio Announces Plans for Bike Boulevards Bike Lanes
The Mayor announced plans for more bike lanes in 2021, including one bike boulevard in each borough. The proposals must go through the community vetting process, so it's not a done deal. Here are where the proposed bike boulevards are slated to take place - BUT will only include a segment of each street / avenue - NOT the entire road.
"... In coming weeks, DOT Borough Commissioners and planners will present proposed plans to elected officials and community boards, with the expectation that they will be completed this year... "
In 2020 the de Blasio Administration expanded bike lanes in all five boroughs by a total of over 20 miles, and he expanded priority bus lanes by 16 miles.
De Blasio Announces Open Boulevards Effort to Jump Start Cultural Activities
Last summer the open restaurants / open streets program provided relief to restaurant owners and communities during the CoVid pandemic. In an effort to build on that success, Mayor de Blasio announced plans for Open Boulevards in an effort to provide relief / kick start cultural activities in NYC this summer. The program has thus far identified ten boulevards, spanning all five boroughs, wherein it is planning to cordon off some segment of each major street - likely over the weekend - and use the space to enable the artists, musicians, actors and dancers of NYC to show their stuff. The ten boulevards include: a) BRONX - 1) Alexander Avenue near East 134th Street and 2) Arthur Avenue near Cresent Street, b) BROOKLYN - 3) Fifth Avenue in Park Slope and 4) Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park, c) MANHATTAN - 5) Amsterdam Avenue at 110th and 6) Columbus Avenue at 106th, d) QUEENS - 7) Ditmars Avenue at 33rd Street and 8) Woodside Avenue at 78th Street, and e) STATEN ISLAND - 9) Minthrone Street at Victory Blvd. I don't yet know what the tenth street is.
CoVid Vaccination Approval for Pfizer in Kids 12 - 15 & Changing Mask Guidance
The Pfizer vaccine was approved for use in children ages 12 - 15 by the FDA on Monday. May 10, 2021. The Federal Advisory Board must also approve the vaccine, and is likely to do so as early as this weekend. Governor Cuomo has indicated once the vaccine passes muster with these two scientific groups, the state will approve it as well and begin administering it, which could be as early as next week. The Moderna vaccine isn't far behind Pfizer in the data collection and scientific approval process, but it likely will be weeks to more than a month, before it's in the market.
On Thursday, May 13, 2021 the CDC surprised us, when they announced changing mask and social distancing guidelines for vaccinated people. They told us that for people who are not immuno-compromised, and who have received the full vaccination dose [one shot for J&J and two shots for Pfizer and Moderna] over two weeks ago [takes two weeks for your immune system to fully ramp up], they no longer are advising these people to wear masks indoors or outdoors and they don't have to social distance.
People were surprised because this creates a bit of confusion, as anyone traveling on mass transit like buses, trains, planes and the like are still required to mask up, regardless of vaccination status. And the ultimate guidance on masks is essentially up to state lawmakers, municipalities and local businesses.
The reason the CDC made the announcement isthat they have found the vaccines to be very effective against CoVid hospitalizations and deaths.
NYC Tourism Back on the Rise
One of NYC's most significant revenue and employment economic categories is tourism. Prior to the pandemic NYC had hosted 67 million tourists in a single year. These visitors spent some $70 billion while here on entertainment, hotels, dining, shopping and the like. That kind of economic activity helped fuel employment of about 300 - 400 thousand workers.
During the pandemic, the entire planet seemed to nearly close shop on recreational tourism. In NYC, the city welcomed 22 million visitors - most of whom came prior to the pandemic. Because of the downturn, some hotels closed, reducing the available rooms by 36,000 to 88,000 rooms. Hundreds of thousands of hotel, restaurant and retail workers were either dismissed or furloughed due to the inactivity.
While this year won't be a banner year, there are signs of tourism coming back to life. The Met Museum has seen its visits rise from 4,000 per day last summer to 7,000 per day in recent weeks and as high as 9,000 in a single day. This is still well below the 25,000 the museum used to accommodate pre-pandemic, but a significant improvement nonetheless. And even though the Statue of Liberty is still closed, 33% more tourists took the ride to view the Lady than did just a few months ago. NYC expects about 31 million tourists to visit NYC this year, but we could overshoot that if the vaccinations continue to progress and chase the virus away.
Economic Snapshot - Unemployment Likely to Keep Falling as Hiring Resumes
The U.S. unemployment rate was about 6% in March, while the NYS unemployment rate was about 8.5%, dragged down in part by NYC's performance which had an unemployment rate of 11.2%. One of the primary reasons NYC is lagging the state and nation is because of the loss of tourism, as noted above. As mentioned, tourism declines lead to a loss of hundreds of thousands of hospitality and retail jobs in the city. That's the bad news.
The good news is that it appears to be coming back. While a great deal of NYC tourism is from abroad, even more originates domestically. And with CoVid rates declining, restaurants opening longer hours, office workers returning to their desks beginning this month through September, the MTA to resume 24/7 service before the end of this month, the Mayor said he expects the city to be fully reopened by July 2021.
Economic Snapshot - Inflation & the Stock Market
The stock markets were spooked this past week by a report showing inflation was 4.2%. They calmed down by the end of the week, as a major contributor to the spike, were the low Consumer Price Index numbers of a year ago. Nonetheless, folks should beware, as if inflation returns, the cost of borrowing will rise, and economic activity will slow because the costs associated with big ticket purchases will rise.
The fact that the markets calmed, indicates they believe the spike may be temporary, fueled in part by the multi-trillion dollar stimulus package and the resumption of economic activity compared to a depressed base. But it's key to stay vigilant on both the healthcare front and one's finances, as caution is the better part of valor.
Have a nice weekend.
Special Interests & Scott Stringer NYC Mayoral Candidate
NYC Mayoral Stringer Candidate Scott Stringer Frequently Appears to be an Agent for Special Interests - Except When Their Interests & His Career Ambitions Collide
Weather. It's going to be a fairly consistent weather week with the temperature highs in the 60's and the temperature lows in the high 40's to low 50's. There's scant chance of rain [12% on Tuesday], and winds will be about 10 mph give or take. Humidity will be low all week faling from 40 - 50% today to between 30 - 40% during the middle of the week and returning to 40 - 50% by Friday.
In the photo at right are a couple of direct mail pieces that were sent by Stringer and funded, in part by NYC real estate developers.
The NYC Mayoral Campaign - Based on Funding & Polls it's a Two or Three Horse Race Unless Things Change Significantly as Voters Tune in - Garcia
According to the NYC Campaign Finance Board as of May 7, 2021, Eric Adams and Scott Stringer were leading in campaign contributions and with cash on hand. Eric Adams has $8.9 million and $7.9 million left to spend, while Stringer raised $8.4 million and has $7.4 million left to spend. Andrew Yang is a distant third having raised $5.9 million with $5 million left to spend, and Maya Wiley an even more distant fourth having raised $3.9 million with $2.5 million left to spend.
The second tier of candidates including Shaun Donovan [$2.2 million left to spend], Dianne Morales [$2.5 million left to spend], Kathryn Garcia [$2.7 million left to spend] may not be viable unless things dramatically change in a fairly short period of time. This assessment isn't just based on funding, but on the polls, as these candidates are running far behind the leading candidates Yang [26%], Adams [20%] and Stringer [13%], as each of them has less than 10% of the vote. Wiley has 10%, so she is very disadvantaged in both cash and polling vis a vis the two leaders.
It's worth noting that the New York Times endorsed Garcia this week. She's not getting the oodles of special interest money like the front runners, has solid track record in NYC municipal government, and she would be the first woman to become the Mayor of NYC, were she to prevail [as would Maya Wiley or Dianne Morales].
Scott Stringer Stays Focused on his Career
I started paying attention to Scott Stringer as I began the launch of Gotham Buzz / Manhattan Buzz in the summer / fall of 2013. The first reporting I did which included Scott Stringer in it, was a short brief in the late summer of 2013, when as the Manhattan Borough President Stringer gave his conditional approval of the Midtown East Rezoning Plan. As I was launching those sites, I didn't have the time to do the proper research into the planned mega real estate rezoning and development, which Stringer had publicly criticized, but which he ultimately approved.
That said, what did happen was that my 'Spidey Sense' had picked up the scent of a self-serving politician.
2013 / Manhattan Borough President Stringer / Midtown East ReZoning
Stringer Seems to do What's Right for His Career, NOT for His Constitutents?
The Midtown East rezoning was a gargantuan real estate development push centered in and around the Grand Central Terminal neighborhood. At the time [August 2013] Scott Stringer was the Manhattan Borough President. And, as I eventually found Stringer to have done before, he came out strongly publicly criticizing the plan, and then seemed to do an about face and sign off on it.
This was as Scott Stringer ran for NYC Comptroller - the position he holds today. An August 1, 2013 report in the Real Deal started with this,
" ... A day after the city pledged to provide upfront funding for transit improvements as part of the Midtown East rezoning plan, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer announced he will support the proposal, Crain’s reported ... [and then this] Stringer won praise from the Hotel Trades Council, the city’s biggest hotel union, thanks to his endorsement of a special permit process for any hotels that would be built as part of the plan ... [and then this] ... Since the changes were announced, observers awaited Stringer’s approval, wondering whether he would side with the plan’s critics and risk alienating the city’s real estate community as he runs for the position of New York City Comptroller against former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer ... "
In the graphic at right, you can see an August 1, 2013 report in the Wall St Journal that notes that Stringer approved the Midtown East Rezoning even though it disappointed community groups who opposed the rezoning. Stringer seemed to side with the real estate developers in lieu of the community, which he also did as Manhattan Borough President in the case of the Greenwich Village / NYU rezoning. Beware politicians who appear to vote in favor of those who fund them, in lieu of the broader community.
Stringer went on to win that close election. And according to an October 5, 2016 report by DNA Info, the Midtown East Rezoning Plan,
" ... was advanced by the Bloomberg administration but was withdrawn in 2013 after elected officials, including Garodnick, opposed it, saying it lacked transparency regarding exactly what public improvement projects would be funded through deals with developers ..."
In May 2014 Mayor de Blasio established the East Midtown Steering Committee to rezone the area. The new Manhattan Borough President, Gale Brewer and City Councilmember Garodnick worked on a new rezoning plan, which was approved in August of 2017.
2014 / 2015 - NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer Hypes False Allegations of 'Corruption' at Queens Library, which DeStabilizes the Non Profit, Enabling Politicians to Wrest Away Independent Control of it
No Corruption Found / Taxpayers Pay Ten(s) of Millions for Investigation & Settlement / Queens Library Loses its Independence at a Time When Real Estate Developers are Circling like Sharks Around Public Library Property
In 2014 the NY Daily News, which at the time was owned by real estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman, began a barrage of seemingly endless attacks on then Queens Library President Thomas Galante. Almost every NYC media outlet followed the lead and tone of the NY Daily News coverage - except us and a couple of other independent outlets.
In early 2014, newly elected Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer jumped on the bandwagon and rode the allegations and innuendo of Queens Library corruption all the way to Albany and back. The NYS Senate and NYS Assembly - in what I consider a major failure by almost all of them - nearly unanimously passed a bill in both houses to rescind the Queens Library independence based on UNPROVEN ALLEGATIONS of corruption. The independent Queens Library board had been set up by Andrew Carnegie in the early 1900's and seemed operate well ever since, including during the time of the seemingly phony, trumped up allegations.
In the graphic at right, from a December 16, 2014 report on Queens Buzz, you see Scott Stringer and Melinda Katz together at an outdoor cultural event, just before they began their 'corruption' assault on the Queens Library president and non-profit board. After over a year of intense scrutiny and legal wrangling, they found NO WRONG DOING, while squandering millions of dollars of taxpayer money and politicizing the library and its board, by wresting away its non-profit independence, which increases the likelihood that real estate developers will have representation [or surrogates] on the board who can wrangle away from the community the choice real estate the libraries rest upon.
But both bodies of the NYS legislature didn't let the facts get in the way of what they did, and Scott Stringer can take a bow for helping amplify those false allegations of corruption, seeming to help make them appear true.
Why? Perhaps because Mortimer Zuckerman, a billionaire real estate developer, owned the NY Daily News at the time. In politics having an ally who is both rich and owns mass media is a significant advantage in an electoral race. And perhaps because both Katz and Stringer had previously interacted with Zuckerman's Boston Properties to get new zoning pushed through in the Village for NYU in 2012. Here's a link to a December 20, 2014 report in Queens Buzz that should give you the gist of for whom Scott Stringer appears to really work.
2012 / Manhattan Borough President / NYU Campus Expansion Greenwich Village
Supports Massive Real Estate Development in Greenwich Village which Residents Oppose
NYU planned a mega real estate development, to expand its campus footprint in Greenwich Village. The people who lived there weren't supportive of it, as their Community Board 2, opposed the proposal based on its size and the impact of the construction on the neighborhood before and after the development was completed which was estimated to be about 19 years. There were also accusations that NYU's math was 'fuzzy' with respect to how they counted public space in the proposal.
A June 15, 2012 report in CityLandNYC.org tells us that,
"... Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer supported the proposal under certain conditions. Stringer recommended, among other things, eliminating the proposed below-grade space from under the landscaped strips, reducing the size of the new buildings on the superblocks, and eliminating the construction of the temporary gym. Stringer also recommended imposing limits on eating and drinking establishments if the Loft Blocks were rezoned with a commercial overlay..."
I think it's worth noting that generally speaking, conditional statements included in rezoning proposals, were oftentimes ignored, once the plan was approved. This was so much so the case, that in June 2018 Mayor de Blasio opened up a Rezoning Commitments Tracker to remedy this situation based on legislation passed by the City Council [Local Law 175 of 2016]. Unfortunately the page does not appear to have been updated since the pandemic and social unrest began in the Spring of 2020.
In the two graphics above and at right you can see: 1) that the Greenwich community urged the then Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer to vote against the mega NYU expansion plan development in 2012 and 2) that Scott Stringer voted for it anyway.
It's worth mentioning that the developer, Boston Properties, was owned / controlled by the then owner of the NY Daily News, billionaire real estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman. Zuckerman and his NY Daily News also played a role in hyping false allegations of corruption against the President and non-profit board of the Queens Library, in what seemed an effort to wrest away control of the organization from the non-profit [which they succeeded in doing], in order to enable the possibility of wresting away the land upon which the libraries sit - as has been done in Brooklyn.
2014 / Education / Stringer Appears to Try to Thwart de Blasio Push for Universal Pre-K
Stringer Seems Willing to Sacrifice the Education of some Portion of 53,000 NYC Children to Enable a Career Enhancing Challenge to the Mayor
As with the phony. trumped up charges in the Queens Library 'Corruption Scandal', Scott Stringer appeared to use his office to try to undermine Mayor de Blasio's push for Universal Pre-K in the Fall of 2014, after de Blasio helped secure the NYS legislation authorizing the plan.
Stringer attacked Mayor de Blasio's push to implement Universal Pre-K in the Fall of 2014 by claiming that a number of the organizations the Mayor was working with, to implement the plan on relatively short notice, hadn't fully complied with some of the paperwork Stringer oversaw in the NYC Comptroller's office.
It was a politically staged event that pundits believe Stringer used to hope to position himself against Mayor de Blasio for the next election in 2017.
Stringer tried to create the impression that some of the Universal Pre-K sites might be unsafe, but multiple city agencies were working to make sure that wouldn't be the case [and it wasn't] in a push to make Universal Pre-K happen. In an August 2014 Politico report states,
"... The comptroller's role is to approve the contract," de Blasio said, adding "way before that, all these agencies were working on health and safety. When I think about health and safety, I think about the professionals who do this work..."
The same Politico report quotes Stringer saying,
" ... "I want them to stop playing games," Stringer said of the administration during his press conference, during which he hinted at "legal action..."
But even Stringer allies sided with de Blasio, likely recognizing Stringer has oftentimes made staged political statements in an effort to further his career, in lieu of an issues / people based agenda. According to a September 1, 2014 report in the Observer,
" ... Mr. de Blasio had wrangled two pols from Mr. Stringer’s Upper West Side base, along with many other shared allies, to repudiate his [Stringer's] latest analysis of the mayor’s prekindergarten plan, even digging out a statement from a former Bloomberg chief of staff to drive the point home: I am the mayor, you are wrong and I have many, many friends who agree with me... "
The September 1, 2014 Oberver report also noted that this was not the first time Stringer tried to trip up the Mayor, early in de Blasio's Mayoralty.
" ... Mr. Stringer challenged the mayor on accounting related to retroactive raises granted to the United Federation of Teachers, the first major labor deal of Mr. de Blasio’s tenure... "
The question here is why did the United Federation of Teachers union support someone who seemed to undermine an important educational initiative? Their leadership may be as guilty as billionaires and corporations of looking out for themselves, not their constituents.
2017 - Special Interest Scott Stringer is a Player of Games Using Political Theater
Politics Can be Dirty - Watch What Pols Like Stringer Do - Not What They Say
A June 3, 2017 OpEd in the NY Post provides the following, which shows how Stringer plays fast and loose with hypocrisy.
" ... Union puppet on a stringer ... A telling sign that a politician is a puppet for teachers unions is a robotic claim to be putting children ahead of politics. Behold city Comptroller Scott Stringer. He was on auto-control while pushing back against legislators demanding to know how state money was spent.Said Stringer: “Our kids should be above politics. Their futures can’t be treated as pawns in a political game.”You could hardly see the unions’ lips moving."
So it appears ok to play politics with the kids' education in furtherance of Scott Stringer's career. But it's not ok 'to play politics' by asking for transparency regarding funding related to the Teachers Union, which likely was also a career enhancing move by Stringer, given the UFT endorsed him.
2016 - 2019 / Stringer Gambles with Public Money?
NYCERS aka New York City Employees Retirement System Increases Investments in Private Equity Real Estate 45% - Impact on Risk / Returns, Affordable Housing & Stringer Campaign Donations?
This is a two pronged deal where Stringer seems to fund private equity that is alleged to be contributing to the global housing shortage. And fund real estate investments that have reportedly also provided sub par returns for the funds. If I'm not mistaken, municipal pension fund shortfalls are paid by city taxpayers. Are these financial guys donors / possible donors to Stringer's campaign(s)?
Who's Will be Pulling the Strings on Stringer?
Do these people fund Stringer's campaigns? I think so, but that's hard to prove. But as an example, Stringer has NEARLY FOUR TIMES MORE intermediaries collecting money for his campaign than the other TOP THREE CANDIDATES COMBINED. Stringer has 27 intermediaries [which I assume are set up to hide who's really contributing], while Yang has 0, Adams has 4 and Wiley has 4.
In the graphic to the right the second to the last line at the bottom on the left shows the number of intermediaries who probably package money that doesn't want to be seen by the public, so the public won't know who's pulling the strings on Stringer?
This indicates to me that Stringer is the choice of the wealthy, probably real estate investors and developers. So if you want the city run by the rich and powerful over the next four years, Scott Stringer is your choice and Ray McGuire would be your second choice.
Stringer Embraces Public Investments in Mass Transit Additions that Benefit Billionaire Manhattan Developers
While Ignoring the People who live in the Mass Transit Deserts of the Outer Boroughs
The then Manhattan Borough President Stringer approved the Hudson Yards #7 subway line extension and the Upper East Side subway line extension. This was done while there were and still are an incredible number of other places in the city with greater transportation needs than almost anywhere in Manhattan - let alone south of 90th Street. These other places are called transportation deserts, where residents have to travel hours, if they use public transit, to get anywhere central.
There are other mass transit needs too. For example, how about one East - West subway in the Bronx? How about a second North South subway in middle / eastern Queens Brooklyn? How about one more north south subway on the west side of Staten Island?
Conclusion - Stringer Doesn't Appear to be the Man the Corporate Media Tell You He Is
Is Scott Stringer a progressive? Yes, but that progressivism seems limited to the generic democratic issues that are required of any viable NYC Democrat.
But when it counts, when it comes to local issues where Stringer can really make a real difference for his constituents, Scott Stringer seems to let his career ambitions - and those who fund them [like real estate developers] or those who mobilize voting blocks [like specific union leadership] - drive what he's going to do. Voters and residents be damned.
We have a lot of choices for Mayor this primary. For my money, Scott Stringer isn't one I would rank highly, if at all, because he's going to look out for his career and the special interests who support him - not the people of New York City.
Have a good week.
This Weekend - Mothers Day & More
Broadway Tickets go on Sale, Restaurant Capacity Increased to 75%, Mothers Day Restaurants Suggestions [see 4/27 report], Some Things To Do NYC, Free Baseball Tickets, Retail Coming Back & Brief CoVid Update
Weather. The temperature highs will be in the low 60's on Friday & Sunday, and high 50's on Saturday. The temperature lows will be around 50 on Friday and Sunday and in the mid 50's on Saturday. A small amount of rain [a tenth or two of an inch] is expected during the day Saturday, and a larger amount of rain [up to a half inch] is due starting Sunday late afternoon / early evening. The humidity will be 50% - 70% and the winds 5 - 10 mph all weekend.
Some Broadway Tickets Went on Sale
Effective Thursday 5/6/21 some Broadway Show tickets went on sale online. Broadway is expected to reopen on Tuesday, September 14th, 2021. According to an NBC report about 94,000 people have jobs tied to Broadway Shows. I'm not sure if this includes hotels, restaurants, taxis in addition to acting, stagecraft and production / business management, but the annual revenue figure of $14.8 billion associated with Broadway productions does include related businesses. I believe tickets to some of the big plays like Aladdin, Hamilton and Chicago won't be available until next week - but if you're interested, you should check as soon as possible.
Restaurants To Expand to 75% Capacity
Restaurants can now use 75% of their capacity effective today 5/7/21 - just in time for Mothers Day Weekend in NYC. I believe both New Jersy and Connecticut are doing the same, with the caveat that six feet social distancing remains the guideline in effect.
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut will remove most CoVid related capacity limitations effective Wednesday, May 19th, 2021 for restaurants, retail, cultural institutions like museums and theaters, hair salons, places of worship, gyms, casinos and the like. This removal is based on the assumption that new CoVid cases and hospitalizations continue to fall.
Things to Do - Macy's Flower Show & Lincoln Center
The Macy's Flower Show started on May 2nd and runs through May 16th. See photo showing how they took the show to the adjacent parks and decorated their outer veneer.
The Met Gala is normally held this week, but has been postponed. The good news is that it's returning this year.
Lincoln Center is hosting a number of outdoor performances this month on the plaza and / or adjacent to their pavilions. On May 10 they go 'green' by decorating the concrete space with what looks to be a makeshift golfing green.
Around the boroughs, we're seeing movement of things stirring, but not yet in full motion. I kind of expect the Memorial Day Weekend to be not just the kickoff to the summer, but also to the definitive end of the CoVid pandemic - but this assumes that many of the Trumpckleheads re-enlist in reality and get vaccinated.
Free Baseball Tickets at Yankee & Mets Games
Effective May 19th, the stadiums will be able to seat vaccinated folks at 100% capacity, while seating unvaccinated folks at 33% capacity. Face mask requirements remain in effect for all baseball game attendees. The Yankees and the Mets are also offering free tickets to their games to those who get vaccinated at the stadiums with the one shot J&J vaccine. That seems like a win / win / win. The attendee gets a free ticket and free vaccination, the MLB teams can then seat three people in place of one unvaccinated and NYC and NYS will move closer to putting CoVid behind us.
80,000 NYC Municipal Workers Returned to Work This Week
The Mayor and the NYC Municipal employees are leading by example. This week they returned to working in the office. That's certain to breathe new life into the city and the surrounding businesses.
Separately, but related, as of late April over 80% of school teachers and staff had received their vaccinations. I couldn't find any recent statistics for other unions like the firefighters or police - but a December 2020 report indicated that possibly 50% of the FDNY members weren't [at the time] planning to get vaccinated. This may have changed, as proof of vaccination is likely to increase in value for entry to life as we knew it.
Many businesses are evaluating whether to mandate vaccinations after incentives fail in order to keep their staffs and clientele healthy.
Economy on the Mend - Retail Sales Up, Unemployment Down & MTA to Resume 24/7
Retail Sales Up 10% in March and new unemployment claims fall below a half million for the first time since the pandemic began [but it's still about 200,000 above normal]. Restaurants, clothing and sporting goods lead the way with an increase of 18%.
The sales increases are believed to be a result of the CoVid relief package signed by President Biden. There are some supply shortages which have come about, in part due to the pandemic, which economists are concerned will fuel inflation. Higher inflation leads to higher interest rates. Higher interest rates leads to reduced demand, particularly for high dollar value items like homes and cars. The question is whether this is a CoVid induced blip or something of a more durable nature. Stay tuned.
On Monday, May 17, 2021 the MTA will resume 24/7 operations. Shortly after the pandemic began, the MTA closed the nighttime subway for 4 - 5 hours to deep clean it. As curfews and capacity restrictions fall away, mass transit is required to keep things moving.
And What's a Week Gone by Without Someting About CoVid?
So vaccinations have retreated from their highs in April to about a third the maximum throughput. New cases, hospitalizations and deaths continue to fall, albeit at what seems a slower pace. About 80% of SENIORS and more than 40% of American ADULTS have been fully vaccinated. But this is only about a third of the entire population, although 44% of ALL Americans have had at least one shot. About 20% of the American population is comprised of kids, who to date [except those 16 - 17 years of age] have not been eligible to be vaccinated. But that's about to change.
Pfizer expects FDA approval for their vaccine for kids ages 12 - 15 as soon as this month, and to get approval for ages 2 - 11 in the fall of 2021. Moderna is looking for approval for kids 12 - 17 as early as July or August, and for younger children some time after that.
Scroll down to our April 27th report for some reviews / descriptions of restaurants for Mothers Day for each borough. Enjoy.
The NYC Mayoral Race Heats Up 2021
#1 Andrew Yang Slipping in Polls, #2 Eric Adams Holds / Moves up on Yang, Already #3 or #4 - Scott Stringer Now Accused of Sexual Harassment, Plus a Bit of News on the Four Candidates Trailing the Leaders & the Mysterious Impact of Ranked Choice Voting
Weather. It's going to be a fairly rainy week, starting late afternoon / early Monday evening ending Tuesday morning. Tuesday looks to be cloudy, but not a lot of rain until Tuesday evening, which will last through Wednesday. Thursday looks to be winner [sunny & dry] and then Friday afternoon less rain returns. Temperature lows will be in the 50's and temperature highs in the 60's on Monday, Thursday and Friday, and in the 70's on Tuesday and Wednesday.
NYC Mayoral Primary is Tuesday, June 22nd
The NYC Mayoral Primary is only seven weeks away. So it's time for voters to begin doing their homework on the candidates in order to make an informed choice. As of the most recent poll, there are at best, about seven viable candidates for the Democratic primary. The viable candidates include Andrew Yang, Eric Adams, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, Raymond McGuire, Shaun Donovan, Dianne Morales and Kathryn Garcia.
While there are another five candidates who qualified for the race, they do not appear to have much popular support nor competitive financial backing. So those five, who include Art Chang, Aaron Foldenauer, Paperboy Love Prince, Joycelyn Taylor and Isaac Wright, Jr., have just received all the mention I intend to give them prior to the election.
Brief NYC Mayoral Candidate Look - See at Most Competitive Candidates including Andrew Yang, Eric Adams, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, Raymond McGuire, Shaun Donovan, Dianne Morales and Kathryn Garcia
With More Depth to Come Prior to the Primary / Decision Day
I. Andrew Yang has been polling as the leading candidate for the longest time, but his support appears to be fading as voters become more familiar with him as well as the other candidates. What likely drove Yang's early poll numbers was his high name recognition at the beginning of the race. Yang had gained name recognition by virtue of his failed run for president in 2020.
It's worth noting that Yang has not held publicly elected office, and prior to his run for president, was best known for a non-profit venture that gained some national attention from the Obama Administration. In a February 10, 2021 Politico report, Yang was the top choice of 28% of respondents in a poll conducted by Core Decision Analytics which is a lobbying firm. According to an April 29, 2021 report in Politico, a recent simulation poll by StudentsFirstNY, showed Yang's support at 26%.
Yang is generally perceived as a left leaning progressive, who sparks creative discussions about what ifs. However, given his limited track record professionally and operationally, it's difficult to tell what a Yang Administration would look like in reality, since he's not held publicly elected office and his claim to fame was only a six million non-profit venture. NYC operates on about a $90 billion budget each year and it's important to have someone familiar with the operations of the city prior to assuming office. Donald Trump comes to mind here, in that he had no prior experience that qualified him for the presidency. In Andrew Yang's case, his experience vis a vis NYC government, is miniscule at best.
EDITOR'S NOTE. Please note that the poll numbers cited in this report come from two different sources whose polling methods likely differed, and which may have some sort of poltical agenda, even though both poll reports were published in Politico, an online political web magazine.
Brooklyn Borough President - Eric Adams
II. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has held the second place in polls, and his support seems to be solidifying and possibly growing. While Yang had about 84% name recognition going into the race, the next best known contestants - Eric Adams and Scott Stringer - came in at about 60% and 66% name recognition, respectively. Adams was supported by 17% in the February 2021 poll, and inched up to 20% in the StudentsFirstNY simulation poll in April 2021.
Eric Adams has been the Brooklyn Borough President since 2013. Prior to that he was an NYS State Senator for four terms. And prior to that, Adams spent two decades as first a transit police officer and then as a member of the NYPD. While seeming to start from a conservative vantage point early in life, Adams appears to have moved steadily toward a moderate, even progressive stance, favoring gay marriage, calling for more dialogue about race and policing as early as 2004, advocating for the first two years of public college to be free and wanting developers to do more for the communities in which they operate.
But there are critical areas where it's unclear as to what an Adams Mayoralty may look like as he has taken in more real estate development cash than any other candidate. Also, the charter schools companies, that make a lot of money by privatizing the best part of the public school system, leaving the rest behind in the hands of the government and unions, while they rake in the cash and the accolades have also contributed a fair amount of cash to the Adams campaign. The private charter schools essentially ravage the public school system in a manner not unlike how insurance companies used to recruit the healthy, leaving the sick in the hands of the public or on their own.
Adams is perceived to be a moderate - but that needs a qualifier - in that Adams appears to be a moderate per the Democratic party in NYC.
Giddyap. As CoVid Abates, More Semblances of Normality Return, 5 Boro Bike Ride to be Rescheduled, Some Live Events in Manhattan & Queens, More Reopenings, Upcoming Fairs & Festivals, Curfews, CoVid, Falling Rents & Mayoral Race
Weekend Weather. The temperature highs will rise from about 70 on Friday and Saturday to about 80 on Sunday. The temperature lows will rise from the mid 40's to the high 50's on Saturday and Sunday. Humidity will be about 40% on Friday and Saturday, rising to 40% to 60% on Sunday. The wind will fall from 20 mph on Friday to 10 - 15 on Saturday to 5 - 10 on Sunday. No rain is expected this weekend.
CoVid Vaccinations by Seniors Now at 80%
A full 80% of the most vulnerable segment of the American population - those aged 65 and older - have been vaccinated. That is probably the single biggest contributor to the declining death and hospitalization rates around the nation.
Both Moderna and Pfizer have been testing vaccines on children below age 16 [down to 12 years of age] and the results of those tests are expected soon. Children represent about 20% of the American population.
There are now 17 people who encountered blood clotting problems after taking the J&J vaccine. All were women, except one. Between 8 and 9 million people have received the J&J vaccine, so the risk to the general population is very small.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines reportedly appear to present no greater risk to pregnant mothers than the general population, but it's unclear to me whether that risk assessment also applies to the children they are carrying. It could be too early to tell.
Governor Cuomo Accelerates Removal of the CoVid Controls
Bars and restaurants can now seat folks at the bar, effective Monday, May 3rd.
The curfew for outdoor dining ends on Monday, May 17th and the curfew for indoor dining ends on Monday, May 31st.
Effective May 15th, gyms will be able to use 50% of their capacity, up from 33% - but this is only outside of NYC. Casinos and gaming facilities will be able to increase the use of their capacity from 25% to 50%.
The Governor also announced that Offices can begin using 75% of their capacity, up from 50%, effective May 15th.
On Wednesday, May 19th outdoor sports / events venues like stadiums, can increase capacity to 33% from the current 20% level.
Mayor de Blasio Expects NYC to be Fully Reopened by July 1st
The Mayor announced this week that he expects NYC to be fully reopened by July 1st, including the resumption of 24/7 subway service. Not long after the pandemic began, the subways were closed down from 12 midnight to 5 am [later shortened to 1 am to 5 am] for deep cleaning.
On Monday, May 3, 2021 the remaining 80,000 of 180,000 municipal workers will return to their offices. According to CBS News the municipal office workers have been vaccinated and $200 million was spent preparing the offices for the workers' return. The municipal office employees' work environment has been compared to that of teachers, although an activist group that arose out of the pandemic, says it's unsafe to do so.
The Mayor also had some good news on the public library front, telling us that effective Monday, May 10th, 2021 folks will be able to visit the libraries and rsvp computer time there. Book borrowing limits will be loosened from curbside pickup.
The Mayor reminded folks that any adult can now obtain a vaccination without scheduling an appointment, by showing up at one of the vaccincations sites - which include many pharmacies - with proper identification / insurance info.
The Mayor said that 6.4 million vaccine doses have been injected into New Yorkers' arms. Nationally about a third of the population has been fully vaccinated, and about 43% have received at least one dose. Remember, children are a fifth of the population, so we're about half way home for those eligible to be vaccinated.
Weather. This forecast was made just shy of two weeks out from Mothers Day. The temperatures will be between 50 and 70 degrees. Right now there's a 24% chance of some precipitation. So, as things currently stand, Mothers Day looks to be alright weather-wise.
We posted a number of different Mothers Day reports, by borough, of a wide range of restaurant suggestions that will be open and ready to accommodate folks on Mothers Day. Take a look.
NYC Coming Back to Life: Things To Do This Weekend
New York City Appears to Slowly Return to the New Normal, More Event Venues Begin Hosting Limited Capacity Rsvp Ticketed Events, Anyone Aged 16+ Can Obtain a Vaccine w/o an Appointment, Biden to Address Nation Wednesday 4/28
OLD - Weather. The temperature highs will be in the 60's all weekend, while the temperature lows will range from the mid 40's to mid 50's. There's a near certain chance of about three quarters of an inch of rain early Sunday morning [gone by noon]. Humidity will be 25% - 40% on Friday, moving up from 35% - 60% on Saturday and then maxing at 70% Sunday morning, before coming back down in the 50% range by Sunday evening. Winds will be between 10 - 15 mph all weekend.
Things To Do NYC, Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens & Staten Island
April 20 was National Weed Day. Possession of small amounts of recreational marijuana is now legal in NYS.
NYC is reopening curbside composting pickup registration in September for an October 2021 restart date.
On Monday, April 27th, museums can open to 50% of capacity, up from 25% capacity currently. Sports venues will be allowed to open up indoor events to 50% of capacity, up from 25%, effective May 19th, 2021.
MANHATTAN. The Perfect Crime is the first Broadway Play to reopen with live performances to indoor audiences at the Anne L. Bernstein Theater at the Theater Center at West 50th Street off Broadway in the theater district. Tickets may be purchased online at www.ticketsmarter.com for $82 - $113.
Jazz at Lincoln Center is hosting events in April - but not this weekend.
ArtontheAveNYC.com from April 15th through July 8th 2021 is vacant store fronts repurposed as art galleries for from the street viewing. It's in the West Village from the Bleeker Playground to Christopher Street and between West 4th Street and Hudson Street.
Bryant Park is hosting concerts that run from the summer through the fall, but has limited seating capacity of 200, so you are advised to rsvp now.
The Tribeca Film Festival will open with the film In the Heights in June with viewing locations in all five boroughs at destinations to be announced at a later date.
BRONX. NY Botanical is hosting contemporary art exhibit entitled 'Kusama: Cosmic Nature' opens this weekend with outdoor installations across the NY Botanical Garden [through October 31st]. Like most venues these days you have to reserve timed tickets at nybg.org.
NYC Crime - A Brief Look at NYPD Progress Reducing Murders and Shootings & Effort to Rein in Violent Crime by Making Gun Arrests
The Men & Women in NYPD Blue, Police Commissioner Shea & Mayor de Blasio Have Made Progress in Bringing Down the Number of the Most Violent Crimes in NYC
News Outlets Controlled by Australian Born Billionaire Propagandist, Rupert Murdoch, Generally Fail to Inform NYC & America of these Facts Because They Don't Fit into Murdoch's Manipulative Labeling of Democratic Governed Cities nor Murdoch's Deceitful Ongoing Disparagement of Mayor de Blasio
Murdoch Seems Not to Let Facts, Get in the Way of What he Wants his News Outlets to Convince the Public to Believe
Weather. The temperature highs will range from the mid 70's on Tuesday to the low 50's on Thursday, with the other days in the 60's. The temperature lows will range from the mid 50's on Tuesday to the the high 30's on Wednesday, with the other days somwhere in the 40's. There's a chance of about a third inch of rain on Wednesday. Winds will be between 10 - 15 mph all week. Humidity will be 50% - 60% in the beginning of the week, dropping to 40% - 50% the last two days of the week.
Mayor de Blasio, Police Commissioner Shea & the NYPD have been Making Progress in Improving Safety on NYC Streets
The NYPD has been working hard to bring down shootings and murders over the past year, in part by making a huge number of gun arrests. In the past four months of 2020, the NYPD made twice as many gun arrests as it had in the prior year. In the first quarter of 2021 the NYPD made 1378 gun arrests, which is a 64% increase over 2020.
As a result of the NYPD's gun arrests, murders in NYC have come back down from 1990's levels, to the more modest levels seen in the past two decades. And in 2020, in spite of the huge uptick in NYC murders [462], which was up 64% versus prior year, NYC's murder rate per thousand, is at or even under the murder rate for the United States as a whole. The count of America's murders made last year has not yet been finalized, but is reportedly about 20,000. So the murder rate per thousand for the nation is .000061, while the murder rate for NYC is about the same at .000055.
The shootings in NYC continue to be a problem, but there too the NYPD has made good progress since the spike last summer. Beginning in May 2020, shootings spiked into triple digits from the double digits of the prior year. Through the summer of 2020 we witnessed hundreds of shootings per month, although beginning in September the shootings began to fall into the hundred plus range, and thus far this year [first quarter 2021], NYC shootings have fallen to below 100 per month.
The statistics speak for themselves. But my interpretation of them is that Mayor de Blasio, Police Commissioner Shea and the NYPD have done a great job of managing violent crime back down, after a pandemic laden, socially restless, absolutely crazy 2020. But New Yorkers won't know this if they rely on miser Murdoch's mendacious NY Post, Fox News or Wall Street Journal - not because it's not true - but that it's truth that doesn't fit into how Murdoch wants his audiences to see the world ... which is through his incredibly warped, 90 year old lens, which seems to have been crafted by Nazi propaganist Joseph Goebbels himself.
MTA Usage Continues Upward Climb, More Venues Begin Hosting Events & Visitors, NYC Restaurant Curfew Extended from 11 pm to 12 Midnight Effective 4/19, Ramadan Began Tuesday 4/14, Reminder that New Tax Deadline is 5/17, Unemployment Claims Drop while Consumer Spending Rises & Earth Day on Thursday 4/22
Weather. Temperature highs in the mid 50's on Friday, rising to 60 on Saturday and the mid 60's on Sunday. Temperature lows will be in the low 40's on Friday, rising to the high 40's the rest of the weekend. Humidity will be between 50% and 60% all weekend. Winds will be about 10 mph Friday, falling to about 5 mph the rest of the weekend. There's a small chance [less than 35%] of a small amount [less than 1/10th of an inch] of RAIN on Friday. The rest of the weekend should be clear.
In the photo at right, you can see what seems to be happy couple, heading out to enjoy the fresh spring air.
MTA Ridership Continues to Grow, Albeit Slowly
One of the metrics I use to evaluate how we're doing is mass transit usage in NYC.
If my memory serves me right, subway usage fell over 90% around the beginning of the pandemic. Last fall it had risen to being down 80%, this winter it had risen to being down about 66%, and this week it's still around 66%, but on some days we're seeing it down in only the 50%+ range.
Bus ridership didn't fall as much as the subways and has remained at about 50% for the past half year or so. Again - if my memory serves me correctly - it was down about two thirds during the summer of 2020, and down about 85% or so at the beginning of the pandemic.
As now nearly a quarter of New Yorkers have been fully vaccinated, and nearly 40% have received at least one dose. As noted in our April 12, 2021 post, deaths continue to decline likely due to the growth in vaccinations, particularly among the most vulnerable segments of the population [aged 65 and older accounted for about 85% of deaths].
Children are more susceptible to catching the new strains of the Corona Virus because it has a stronger mechanism to attach to their developing sinuses. So given vaccines for children under age 12 are about a half year away, discretion is the better part of valor.
As you can see in the photo taken a week ago, the subways, while not crowded, are beginning to have a more normal passenger load.
The Beginning of the End of the Corona Virus Pandemic?
There's CoVid Bad News but also Some Very Good CoVid News
Despite Level or Rising New CoVid Cases, Death Rates Continue to Fall / J&J Vax Paused / Reasons for Different Reactions to Vaccines based on Gender / Why Kids are More Impacted by the New Variant B.1.1.7 / Pregnancies
Weather. The temperature highs will mostly be in the high 50's / low 60's this week, while the temperature lows will be in the high 40's / low 50's. Winds will range from 5 - 10 mph all week. The humidity will generally range from 50% - 70% throughout the week. There will be about a half inch of RAIN on Monday and about an inch on Thursday.
CoVid Update NYC
We're beginning to reach a tipping point of sorts vis a vis the CoVid pandemic. There's a part of me that was inclined to wait on this story a bit longer, even though I think the trend is clear, in order avoid igniting too much enthusiasm, for what is increasingly looking like the winding down of the CoVid pandemic. But, given the trend seems real, I'm publishing my findings along with a few caveats. Please pay attention to the caveats that follow, as the implications of ignoring them, could be disastrous for people in what seem vulnerable categories.
J & J Vaccine Paused, Pending a Closer Look at Rare Blood Clotting Issues
This just came in. There were 6.8 - 8.3 million doses of the J & J vaccine administered to date. And further rollout of that vaccine is on pause, pending a closer review of the data. Blood clots arose in six of the millions of people who took the J&J vaccine, so out of an abundance of caution, the FDA and CDC want to be sure there's no link to the vaccine. It's worth mentioning that the blood clots found in the six people, have also materialized in folks who didn't take any vaccine. It is believed that this will likely be much ado about nothing, but until then the J&J vaccines have been pulled.
New CoVid Cases & CoVid Death Rates are No Longer in Sync
(Is) The Worst of the CoVid Pandemic in the U.S. Over?
The bad news is, of course, that new cases of CoVid infections are not falling and - albeit slightly - have risen a bit, after falling from a Winter high. There's other bad news as well, for specifc segments of the population, which you will see in our discussion of what appears to be happening vis a vis the spread of new variants infecting kids and different reactions to the vaccines, based on gender. We also include a brief discussion about pregnant women.
The good news is that while new CoVid cases are steady or rising, the CoVid death rate continues to fall - even taking into account a two to four week lag from contagion to death. Since mid February, I've been monitoring both the NY Times and Washington Post graphs of the new cases and death rates, noticing as the vaccination rates went up, that the deaths continued to fall, in spite of the continued spread of the virus.
As of late March, over 70% of people over the age of 65 have received at least one vaccination shot. And if you look at the CoVid death statistics, according to an April 11, 2021 report by Statista [see graphic above right], the people over 65 accounted for over 83% of the deaths in New York City, which is about in line with other statistics I've seen for the nation.
St James Theater on Broadway does Pop Up Performance, Bronx Night Market Reopened Last Saturday, Mets Win Home Opener Thursday 4/8, Luna Park Coney Island to Reopen Friday 4/9, Flux Arts Event in LIC 4/10, on SI the National Lighthouse Museum is Open, Pools & Beaches to Open This Summer, NYC Public High School Opt In Extended Until this Friday 4/9 as CoVid School Closure Rule Changed, Huge Fire in Jackson Heights, CoVid Vaccinations & New Cases Grow, Economy Seems to be Bouncing Back
Weather. The temperature highs will be around 60 on Friday and Saturday, rising to about 70 on Sunday. The temperature lows will be in the low 50's all weekend. The humidity will rise to between 60% and 70% on Friday, to between 70% and 80% on Saturday and Sunday. Late Saturday there's a small chance of a small amount of rain, but on Sunday there's a good chance [75%] of about a half inch of rain. Winds will be between 5 - 10 mph all weekend.
The photo at right shows a beautiful spring day in Queens on Thursday 4/8/21.
Note About Things To Do While CoVid Pandemic Still Out There in NYC
All of the operations / events below continue to enforce CDC guidelines vis a via public health. This means masks, social distancing, hands washing and no ill people allowed. Some sites may take temperature checks.
Manhattan - The St James Theater Reopened on Broadway for 36 Minutes Last Saturday 4/3/21
A week ago the restrictions on entertainment venues was lifted, allowing theaters and other performance spaces to reopen at 33% capacity. So the St. James Theater, off 8th Avenue on West 44th Street near Times Square, did a soft open for an invitation-only guest list of less than 200 for just over a half hour of performance. Broadway closed on March 12th 2020 so this was seen as a quick trial effort.
While Broadway Theaters are closed through May 30th, 2021, pop up performances will be staged, likely centered around readings and music. As they are pop up - to avoid attrtacting large crowds - we can't advise you when they'll be. Broadway as we know it will likely return by September with fully staged plays and performances. Stay tuned.
* Phony 'Free Speechers' Trump & Murdoch's Fox 'News' Appear to Urge a Boycott of America's National Pastime
The Phony Patriotism of These Two Men Becomes Increasingly Obvious
After Assaulting the Institutions of our Democracy, Culminating in the January 6th Insurrection, they're Urging Americans to Boycott our National Pastime
As you know, Georgia passed a sweeping election reform bill on March 25, 2021. It has been characterized as designed to limit voting participation of Democrats, a party in which far more women and ethnic minorities are represented, than in the Republican party. The Governor and both bodies of the legislature in Georgia are all currently dominated by Republicans.
Biden Calls the New Georgia Laws a Return to Jim Crow
President Biden called it a return to Jim Crow. Jim Crow is the name given to state and local laws passed by white southerners following the Civil War to maintain racial segregation, and white supremacy in the south.
A Summary of Most of the Salient Points of the Law
The following is mostly a paraphrasing / summary of an April 2, 2021 report in the NYT on the law. But I left a couple of things out, and added in a small bit of commentary.
The law, in a nutshell, requires photo ID's to be used in tandem with mail and absentee ballots. This includes following the instructions to a "T" or risk having your absentee or mailed vote disqualified. Election officials are not allowed to mail out absentee or mail ballot applications to anyone unless specifically requested by the voter or an authorized designee. This past year applications were mailed in an effort to encourage people to vote / participate. Drop boxes have been limited to one for every 100,000 voters. This is a significant reduction, especially in densely populated areas. According to PBS in heavily Democratic Fulton County that means the number of drops boxes falls from 38 to 8.
Mobile voting polling stations are banned. The early voting hours have been limited on the weekends to between 9 am and 5 pm but those hours may extended to between 7 am and 7 pm, if the site complies with certain guidelines. Nobody may hand out food or water to voters standing in line within 150 feet of the polling place. This is now a misdemeanor crime. Provisional ballots, which are ballots filled out at a polling site where the voter is not currently registered, is subject to restrictions that go well beyond validating the voter is eligible to cast a vote to be counted. Polling hours can only be extended for a set period of time by a judge, if problems prevent voters from casting their ballots during the regular poll site hours. This is a common occurrence in hotly contested elections. New restrictions on tabulation of results will likely delay the reporting of them, which in the past election enabled Trump & Co to spread falsehoods about the election in the absent of concrete results. The Republican dominated General Assembly will select the Chairperson of the State Election Board. The Republican dominated legislature is empowered to remove up to four county election officials. The time period for runoff elections will be significantly shortened.
Biden says it looks like Jim Crow. I'd add to that that it also smells like Jim Crow. Murdoch's Fox says Georgia's new voting laws are not racist, but Murdoch's Fox says a lot of things that are more dishonest than true - and this is no exception.
NYC Things To Do This Weekend, News Updates & NYC Street Fairs
Entertainment Venues Reopen to 33% Capacity, Marijuana has been Legalized in NYS, CoVid Variants Comprise Over 70% New CoVid Cases, NYS Vaccine Eligibility Expanded to Include 30 Year Olds on up & Next Week 16 Year Olds on up, Assuming Vaccinations Continue at Their Current Pace, NYC Street Fairs May Return a bit Before or After the Beginning of Summer [GUESSTIMATE], Governor's Island to Open May 1st & Easter is Sunday, which is also the day Passover Ends
Weather. No rain is expected this weekend. The temperature highs will be in the low 40's on Friday, the mid 50's on Saturday and the low 60's on Sunday. The temperature lows will about 30 early Friday morning, rising to about 40 by Saturday and into the mid 40's by Sunday. Humidity is expected to remain low between 30% and 40% on Friday and Saturday, rising to between 40% and 50% by Sunday. Winds will be about 10 mph on Friday, dropping to 5 - 10 mph the rest of the weekend.
Restrictions on Entertainment Venues Loosened: Can Reopen to 33% Capacity
On Friday, April 2nd, 2021 entertainment venues in NYC can reopen to 33% capacity with limits of 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors. There's concern the Governor has gone from an abundance of caution, to something quite different, as New York ranks third in the nation in new CoVid cases per capita [42/1000] according to an April 1, 2021 report in the NYT.
Governors Island Reopens May 1st w/ New Weekend Ferry Service to BK
Ferry service to Governors Island resumes May 1st from Manhattan in the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street which is at Whitehall Street, just north of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. The island is open from 10 am to 6 pm weekdays and until 7 pm on weekends. This year there will also be two new Governors Island ferry stops in Brooklyn on the weekends and holidays - one at the Atlantic Bassin in Red Hook and the second at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Mary Jane / Marijuana: So is it, Hi, How are you? Or How Hi Are You?
NYS legalized marijuana on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Legalization of the substance is expected to bring in about $350 million in tax revenue. Marijuana will be taxed at a 13% rate, with 9% going to NYS, and 3% going to NYC and the last 1% going to counties. The money will be reinvested via community grants, education and drug rehabilitation programs with an eye toward helping those neighborhoods most in need. Those folks found guilty of low level marijuana offenses will have their police records purged vis a vis pot related arrests and convictions.
Mayor de Blasio, Police Commissioner Shea & the NYPD have Brought NYC Crime Back Down Below Pre-Pandemic Levels ... save for shootings where they have made a substantial number of gun arrests (+63% in Feb alone)
So Why Doesn't Murdoch's NY Post Want New Yorkers to Know?
Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch is remarkably predictable. His propaganda outlets, maintain the veil of legitimacy by employing enough real reporters, who do real news stories, to mask the manipulations of Murdoch's mass media.
Is Money, Mass Media Manipulator Murdoch's End Game?
Murdoch's media outlets appear to be managed to sell papers and generate TV ratings - by hyping, amplifying and distorting the news - in order to draw attention to it. But the sick genius of Murdoch's propaganda machine, is that it appears to be designed to manipulate voter perception of people, pols and issues in order to exert a strong influence on what voters do at the ballot box.
Murdoch's media in Britain and Australia, where he has a monopolistic or oligopolistic share of traditional media, oftentimes urges those nations to "Let the People Decide"... by relying on Murdoch's outsize share of mass media as their primary information source(s). So ultimately what he's telling the people in those nations to do, is to let Murdoch decide, just like the state controlled media in China and Russia tell their people to let dictator presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin decide.
All three dictators, as Murdoch oftentimes dictates to his audience what he wants them to do [as you will soon see], generally seem to have the same goal in mind - increase their own wealth and enhance their grip on power. The difference between what Murdoch does vis a vis what Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin is more subtle, but just as destructive to the lives of the rest of the people in these nations, because all of them are hoarding power, profit and ultimately the national potential and ability to grow, evolve, change.
Murdoch's Anarchistic Media, Taps Moronic Mob Anger, Just Like Hitler & Goebbels did
If you start paying attention to what media outlets tell you what, you'll see that Murdoch's media appear hellbent on channeling the anger and frustrations of their audiences at those in power who seem not to give Murdoch what he wants. In New York City and New York State we have two government officials, Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo, who have long been targets of Murdoch's mendacious media outlets in our fair city.
Murdoch has an oligopolistic, nearing monopolistic, share of the media in New York City. He controls the Wall St Journal, which he appears to validate the trouble stirred up by some of his less reputable outlets like the NY Post and Fox News - both of which he also controls and uses to stir the ignorant masses. In addition to Fox TV on channel 5, he also control Channel 9 [these are the broadcast TV channels], and he is the largest shareholder of Disney / ABC which he appears to be making inroads into for control of that organization / news department too. And it's worth mentioning that he controls Harper Collins Publishing, one of the largest book publishers in the nation, which just purchased Houghton, Harcourt & Miflin [HMH] Books & Media this week.
Murdoch appears to use the publishing houses to promote the candidates he wants to win high offices, like Fox weather person Janice Dean, who Murdoch seems to be promoting to NYS Governor from her weather person job. Like Trump, Murdoch is capable of convincing the public to vote for near anyone, never mind that Janice Dean seems to have little professional experience that qualifies her for the job of Governor.
Things To Do, NYC News Briefs & Weekend of Religious Holidays
While Overall CoVid Numbers Still Modest in NYC & NYS, CoVid New Cases up Significantly, as are Vaccinations; Cuomo Drops Some Restrictions 4/5 as well as Domestic Travel Quarantine on 4/1, Changes in White Collar Remote Working, CRIME STATS & NY Post Fox News 'Reporting' of them, Business & Economy Update, Passover Begins Saturday, Holi Begins Sunday, Palm Sunday is 3/28 & Open Streets Applications Began 3/25
Weather. On Friday, the temperature high could hit 80 degrees, falling to about 70 on Saturday and into the low 60's on Sunday when about an inch of RAIN is expected. The temperature lows will be around 50 on Friday and Saturday, falling to the low 40's on Sunday. The wind will be about 20 mph on Friday, falling to 5 - 10 mph Saturday and rising to 10 - 15 mph on Sunday. Humidity will be 40% to 70% Friday, 40% - 60% Saturday and 60% - 70% on Sunday.
Ethnic & Religious Holidays
Three holy days begin this weekend. On Saturday evening the Jewish celebration of Passover begins. Passover celebrates the Jews flight from Egypt. To Christians Sunday marks the celebration of Palm Sunday which is the first day of Holy Week, which culminates with Easter Sunday [next week]. And the Indian holiday of Holi begins Sunday evening. Holi is referred to as the festival of Spring, of Love and of Colors. I did my part by snapping the photo to your right which is certainly colorful. To all ethnic and religious groups, I wish you a safe celebration of your holidays.
The Trouble, Fear, Pain & Relief of My First CoVid Vaccination
As More New Yorkers are Vaccinated, the Pressure Grows on Those Who've Not Yet Received a Shot, Also the Role of Limiting Eligibility in Effecting a Smoothe Transition & Effective Tuesday 3/23/21 Folks Aged 50 plus Become Eligible for the CoVid Vaccination
So I've been putting off getting a CoVid vaccination ever since I became eligible earlier this year. At first I held off was because there were intermittent shortages of the vaccine, then rumors of long lines to get them, and finally I had to wrestle through the various websites offering a shot, at a time and place that 'easily' worked for me.
Finding a Vaccination Center Near You in NYC
But this past week I hit the proverbial CoVid vaccine jackpot, after spending what was probably a couple of hours online trying to navigate my way to an appointment. One of the issues are the numerous websites out there, offering vaccines. There's both NYC and NYS vaccinations centers and I waded through each looking for specific locations, specific vaccinations [J&J, Pfizer & Moderna] and specific times.
Let me make it simple for you, as I oftentimes ended up on this site.
NYC Restaurants Move to 50% of Indoor Capacity Today, Large Entertainment Venues Like Baseball Stadiums Open to 20% Capacity Outdoors & 10% Indoors, Stronger Mutant CoVid Now over 50% of New Cases, Vaccine Eligibility Continues to Widen, Airline Travel Up Significantly, Spring Starts Saturday & NYC High Schools to Open Monday 3/22
Weather. No precipitation is in the forecast for the weekend. Temperature highs will go from the low 40's today to the high 50's on Saturday and Sunday. The temperature lows will rise from about 30 to the high 30's on Saturday and Sunday. Humidity will go from 30% - 40% on Friday, to 30% - 50% on Saturday and then 40% - 60% on Sunday. Winds will fall from 10 - 20 mph Friday to about 5 mph the rest of the weekend.
The first day of Spring is Saturday. Spring doesn't arrive on the same date every year. Easter arrives on April 4th this year.
Things To Do in NYC - This Weekend & Coming Soon
NYC Restaurants can use 50% of their indoor capacity beginning Friday, March 19th, while NYS restaurants outside of NYC can use up to 75% of their capacity. Since mid February NYC restaurants have been able to use 35% of their capacity, while NYS restaurants outside of NYC have been operating at 50% capacity. on April 4th?
Events, arts and entertainment venues can open at 33% capacity beginning April 2nd, with limits of 100 people inside and 200 people outside - and with testing those caps can rise to 150 inside and 500 outside.
The Yankees home opener is April 1, 2021 against the Toronto Blue Jays and they will be able to host about 9,000 fans in the 46,000 seating capacity stadium [20% because outdoors], with immunization or testing proof, and the following of other CoVid safety measures like social distancing, masks and temperature checks. The Mets home opener is April 8, 2021 against the Miami Marlins, and they are subject to the same rules mentioned above.
The Central Park Boat House will reopen Wednesday, March 31st, 2021.
Shakespeare in the Park returns to Delacorte Theater on July 5th.
I'm going to explore each accuser's allegations while providing a bit of background on each of them. I have found some of Cuomo's accusers more credible than others, in what I would call the integrity of the whole situation. That said, the sheer number of allegations certainly lends credence to the notion that something is not right in how Cuomo is managing his staff at the Capitol and in the Governor's mansion.
One's attractiveness to the opposite sex, can cut both ways. It can be used: 1) as a powerful tool to obtain special favors, wage increases and promotions one didn't earn, or 2) it can attract unwanted advances that feel threatening to one's person and livelihood. In the former case (#1), one's co-workers or competitors are often the victims by being passed over for promotions, travel and other opportunities. In the latter case (#2), one is a victim / target of unwanted sexual advances by virtue of their god given beauty.
While in Business School, one of my very best friends - who coincidentally was named Murdoch [but no relation to Rupert] - told me that his father had told him that
"... it was more important to be respected, than liked ..."
We both had to seriously contemplate this advice, as this friend was immensely popular. He had asked me to help him unravel what seemed his father's riddle. Ultimately In due time I concluded that my friend's father was right - it is more important to be respected than liked.
I think that is also good advice for women in the workforce, and provides a compass for how one should conduct oneself. Not every man out there is a gentleman, and oftentimes successful men are also the badly behaved men, some can even be assholes like - let's say - Donald Trump. And as we've seen over the past four year presidency, both the men and women who reported into him were certainly psychologically abused. And I won't even begin to contemplate Melania's situation.
So with that in mind, let's take a brief look at each of Cuomo's accusers and their allegations regarding the Governor.
I. Lindsey Boylan (36) - Deputy Secretary for Economic Development & Special Advisor to the Governor
Lindsay Boylan was the first woman to come forward and charge Andrew Cuomo with sexual harrassment in a tweet in December of 2020. She worked for Cuomo from 2015 - 2018 as the Governor's Deputy Secretary and Advisor, during which time she alleges she was continually harassed. Boylan is now running for Manhattan Borough President.
In the accounts of Boylan's claims I've seen published she indicated Cuomo would touch or brush against her arm or leg, compare her to an ex-girlfriend, make unwanted sexually charged statements or inquiries, and on one occasion kissed her on the lips without her permission following the award of a promotion.
Boylan first went public with her claims in December 2020, telling the world that she was speaking out now, because she felt that the public should know this, as Andrew Cuomo was up for consideration for the position of the U.S. Attorney General. This seemed reminiscent of Christine Blasey Ford stepping forth in 2018 with allegations of attempted rape by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But attempted rape is a far more serious allegation than harassment / inappropriate workplace behavior.
At the time Boylan said she didn't want to speak to any journalists about the explosive claims. This set off my spidey sense, because it seems unfair to think that you can make such explosive, career busting allegations without expecting reporters to want to dig deeper for the full context of the story.
Cuomo denied the allegations.
Last year [2020] Boylan was beaten in the Democratic congressional primary. It would seem to be a fair question to ask whether she is angry / blames Cuomo for her loss, believing that perhaps he did not help her enough? One might also ponder whether she is she using the explosive claims of sexual harassment against Cuomo to gain publicity for her current campaign for Manhattan Borough President, while simultaniously by capitalizing on / reaching out to the #MeToo movement?
In what appeared Cuomo pushback, some of Boylan's personnel files were disclosed to the press, indicating there may have been some issues surrounding to her departure from the Cuomo Administration, regarding her management of employees working for her. Boylan says this is part of a Cuomo intimidation / smear campaign.
Boylan said she was harrassed most or many of the nearly four years she worked for Cuomo [2015 - 2018]. Like many women, she hesitated and waited until [two] years after her departure before going public.
The #MeToo movement advocates that all women's sexual harassment claims should be believed, as for centuries women's sexual harrassment claims have been discredited and ignored.
Yet not long after she went public, she threatened to start a women's PAC to torch Schumer and other New York politicians who did not come out to support her in her allegations sooner. The gap in her announcement and in Schumer and other politicians' speaking out in her favor, was about two and a half months [late Dec 2020 to early Mar 2021]. Boylan also published a threatening tweet castigating both President Biden & Vice President Kamala Harris for withholding judgment as well, before she deleted it.
Boylan's vehement 'PAC fundraising' response, caused me to stop to ponder the full nature of Boylan's nearly four relationship with Cuomo, which seems to have greatly benefitted her with promotions and travel, until it did not. I was also reminded of how Donald Trump and Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz opportunistically used 'Stop the Steal' to fundraise PAC money for themselves off of an emotional, voter 'patriotism' hot button issue.
As with Janice Dean's allegations / crusade / soft gubernatiorial campaign launch, where Shakespeare's quote in Hamlet "The lady doth protest too much me thinks" seemed to resonate, as I again found myself asking if this quote also has some relevance to Boylan's case. See prior report for full explanation regarding Janice Dean.
Boylan's allegations would be given due consideration in an investigation. And we may learn much more about hers and Cuomo's relationship ... and it's possible that it could be highly toxic to both of them.
Media Monopoly Billionaire, Rupert Murdoch, Incites Another Mob & Pushes a VIGILANTE 'Rush to Justice' through his Propaganda Outlets
A Closer Look at Janice Dean's Vitriolic Accusations that Andrew Cuomo Mishandled the Corona Virus Pandemic in Nursing Homes & the Multiple Allegations of Harassment
We left off last week with Janice Dean telling us 'Our Family's Losses are Not Political' and she appears to do a soft launch of her campaign for NYS Governor in 2022 with what seems the unbridled media support aka propaganda of Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch.
Rupert Murdoch controls Fox News, the NY Post, the Wall St Journal, Harper Collins Book Publishing and he is the largest shareholder of Disney / ABC. Allowing one person, especially this one, to control this much share of America's media is harmful to this nation because he appears to use his mass media outlets propagandistically to control who gets elected.
Why Murdoch's 21st Century Fox FCC licenses aren't legally challenged for spreading all of the distorted truths to outright lies about gender and race - is incomprehensible to me.
The NY Post graphic at right was used to try to incite and railroad Democrats to oust Cuomo in one of Murdoch's many fascist efforts to bypass rule of law and due process, to enable another of his power grabs in our governmment. I did what the editor of that poorly edited Murdoch media outlet should have done, and turned it back around to feature Murdoch in place of Cuomo.
This is Nazi style management of media and government, as oftentimes the pols Murdoch propagandistically pushes out of office wouldn't bend to his will, and those he ushers in, seem to give him whatever he wants, that they can either hide from the public or con the public into believing is good for them. This is how Goebbels and Hitler usurped the people's power in the budding German democracy in the late 1920's and early 1930's.
Rupert Murdoch & Janice Dean Want You to Believe She's Sunshine, but her Tweets & Vicious Comments Reveal the Opposite
Dean Claims She's Not Politically Motivated, while Seeming to do a 'Soft Launch' of Her Campaign 2022 for NYS Governor on 'Free' Murdoch Media Infommercials
See the report posted on March 12, 2021 for a look into Janice Dean's soft campaign launch for NYS Governor and probe into some of her possible motives for launching such vehement attacks on Andrew Cuomo. Here we pick up on more Janice Dean contradictions where the Fox News host and weather person seem guilty in some measure of doing the same things of which they're accusing Governor Cuomo.
A December 12, 2020 report in the Wrap tells us that Janice Dean tweeted the following,
" ... Nothing wrong with criticizing a politician who likes to profit off the deaths of New Yorkers. (He wrote a book too about ‘leadership’ during a pandemic) You’re right, I don’t like the governor because his policies help kill my husbands parents... "
In the Friday, March 12, 2021 report I probe the guilt that oftentimes afflicts families that place their parents [in this case it's Janice Dean's in-laws] in nursing homes, and explore some possible personal motivations for placing or shifting the blame for their deaths at the feet of Governor Cuomo. There's also a brief timeline of the events in question and less so of the nursing home reporting aftermath.
Weekend Update & A Different Perspective on Andrew Cuomo's Troubles
The Weather Returns to Seasonal, Daylight Savings Time Springs Ahead Sunday, People Vaccinated Growing Rapidly & Has Raging Rupert Incited Another Rioting Mob?
This past week, we experienced a few enjoyable weather days this week, with temperatures in the 60's and 70's. But alas, all good things must come to an end, so starting tonight the temperature will fall back into the 30's and we'll return to seasonal weather for the next week or so.
Weather. The temperature high will be about 70 on Friday, returning to the 50's on Saturday and Sunday. The temperature lows will fall to the mid 30's tonight and Saturday and then fall to the mid 20's on Sunday night. No rain is in the forecast and the humidity will remain low at about 30% throughout the weekend. The wind will range from 10 - 18 mph on Friday, 5 - 10 mph Saturday and rise back up to 18 mph on Sunday.
Daylight Savings Time, where you 'spring ahead' by setting your clock ahead an hour ahead, begins early Sunday morning at 2 am. At present it gets light about 6 am, so following the change it will become light out around 7 am, and currently it gets dark around 6 pm, and following the change it will then get dark around 7 pm.
The number of New Yorkers and Americans vaccinated continues to grow quickly. As of this post some 65 million Americans or about 20% of the nation has received at least one shot. New York is staying abreast with the rest of the nation, with four million New Yorkers [state] having received at least one shot, which is 20% of the state population of about 20 million. New York City has vaccinted 1.8 million people which is also about 20% of the 8.4 million New York City residents.
And the pace of vaccinations continues to accelerate, because just this past week, in New York State over a million doses were administered. President Biden wants everyone to be eligible to receive the vaccine by early May, so that come Independence Day, we can celebrate together is a post pandemic normalcy. The nation's production of vaccine continues to grow, and the vaccine distribution / administration capability which is handled at the state and municipal level, appear to be in place to handle the growing demand.
Children are not among those eligible to be vaccinated. This is because most children do not appear to become severely ill. There are tests being conducted on vaccinating younger children ages 16 - 18, as well as some kids as young as 12, and plans are being discussed regarding vaccinating children 5 - 11.
Did Raging Rupert Murdoch's Mass Media Riot Machine Incite Another Mob by Distorting & Using #MeToo?
March 12, 2021 / US Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
While watching the story of Governor Cuomo's troubles unfold, they triggered my 'spidey sense', or as it used to be called, my newsman's nose. In either case something smells rotten in NYS and as oftentimes is the case, it seems to be coming from Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century & Newscorp - which includes the NY Post, the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, his Harper Collins Publishing Company and possibly with an assist from Disney / ABC News where he has become the largest shareholder and where he seems to be making behind-the-scense personnel moves in the news division.
Even more than Trump, Rupert Murdoch is a trojan horse threat to our democracy. He has already turned both Australia and Britain into banana republics where he appears to change prime ministers at the drop of a hat and unfortunately most of the natives of those lands don't even seem to be aware that they're living in a mediacracy - which is a state controlled by one man's mass media holdings. Both Britain and Australia have been through at least four prime ministers within the past five years, because it seems Murdoch couldn't get exactly what he wanted on the first three tries.
Why do I think the stench is coming from Murdoch's 21st Century & Newscorp and not the Governor's mansion? Because Murdoch's gang of mendacious multi-millionaire minions too often seem not to give a damn about reporting the truth - but rather about distorting and even fictionalizing it to stoke the ratings busting fires of discontent - by attacking government officials who seem not to give Murdoch what he wants from them.
Murdoch's portfolio of wealthy teleprompter actors and actresses, seem to feign anger and outrage, in order to stoke the hyper ventillating audiences of reality contortionists Hannity, Ingraham, Pirro and Tucker into a ratings driven profit frenzy ... which the Australian born billionaire cashes in on, but also uses to brow beat those government officials who won't obey him and use our governmental apparatus to enhance Murdoch's wealth and power.
Earlier this year Murdoch's mass media appeared to help stoke the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol by feeding their audiences misinformation about the integrity of the election results and of the voting apparatus. Murdoch's mendacious minions did such a colossal job of disinforming the American public, that they are now the defendants in a $2.7 multi-BILLION dollar lawsuit filed by Smartmatic, one of the voting machine companies.
Murdoch appeared to fire Fox News host Lou Dobbs in order to pretend Fox News doesn't tolerate that sort of thing [disinforming their audience], just like they fired Bill O'Reilly and Roger Ailes - BUT only after years of reported sexual harassment transgressions when it became too big to ignore, and activists started boycotting Fox advertisers and the greedy 'little man' billionaire started losing money on them. Then came the "I didn't know" and yet another Murdoch inspired phony act of the most insincere contrition.
Remorseful Rupert Murdoch's quintessential phony act of contrition was performed in Britain in 2012, during the investigation into his company's [or ies'] phone hacking of ordinary British citizens for sadistic pleasure and profit. Murdoch's company reportedly hacked the phones of private citizens in order to sensationalize their personal trauma and tragedy on the front pages of Murdoch's British tabloids and TV outlets. Revealing the personal and private pain of private citizen(s) appeared to be great for Murdoch's newspaper sales, great for Rupert's TV ratings and great for rapacious Rupert Murdoch's insatiable appetite for ever more money. It was all part of his life-long, predatory power grab from the ignorant people who get their 'news' from his outlets, and make their voting decisions based on it.
So let's take a look at how the Cuomo story / stories unfolded, in search of truth - not ratings, and in search of a more behind-the-scenes account of things [also known as asking why] - not by partaking in a superficial, broadcast mass media induced, modern day virtual mob lynching, which is what appears to be happening as we speak. The virtual mob won't hang Cuomo's real life carcass like a Mussolini, but rather they will hang his reputation out to dry, based entirely on - as of yet - unsubstantiated allegations made in some cases by people who haven't even revealed themselves and to date have remained fully anonymous. The broadcast TV mass media induced mob will leave Cuomo for politically dead ... which appears exactly what the perennially angry, mean, old man - Rupert Keith Murdoch - wants. Assuming of course, that the actions and words of so many of Murdoch's apparently dishonest minions, represents his the 'Triump of the Will' or the Goebbels-like Media Fuhrer's wishes.
Step aside Atticus Finch - there's a new mindless mob in town - and it appears to be incited by the Australian born propagandist, Herr Rupert Murdoch, America's 21st century Goebbels.
St Pat's Day 2021 - Irish Pubs, Bars & Restaurants in NYC
Most Irish Pubs, Bars & Restaurants We Cover Survived & Are Ready to Party, but Remember Reduced Capacity Seating Offset by Outdoor Seating & CoVid Guidelines Still Apply
So We're a bit more than a week away from St. Patrick's Day 2021. It was around this time last year that we were all waking up to a new reality ... the CoVid pandemic. So the Manhattan NYC St. Patrick's Day parade was hugely scaled down ... and again this year. While the other St. Patrick's Day parades were cancelled and this year either cancelled or moved virtual.
But things are looking up. Restaurants and bars are back to indoor dining at 25%, restaurants can stay open until 11 pm and we've all adapted to outdoor dining. The current weather forecast [as of 3/8/21] for St. Patrick's Day calls for temperatures to range from 40 - 50 degrees with a wee bit of rain. So outdoor dining / drinking should be doable.
So we've compiled a set of Irish pubs, bars and restaurants in each borough for you to peruse if you're contemplating going out that day. Please remember, that like New Years Eve, all the amateur drinkers come out including those not Irish, so be careful. Especially because it's likely a lot of folks will become sloppy mask wearers and not keep their social distance and perhaps not be as mindful of hand cleanliness when not imbibing a few drinks.
So enjoy yourself, but responsibly, so we can all move beyond this pandemic.
Event, Arts & Entertainment Venues to Reopen 4/2, NYC Movie Theaters Reopen Today, Small Business Funding, CoVid Testing & Vaccines Update, Eviction Moratoriums Tentatively set to Expire & the 'Real Economy & Employment' Picture
Weather. No precipitation is in the forecast. The temperature highs will be around 40 and the temperature lows will be in the high 20's throughout the weekend. On Friday the humidity will rise from about 30% to between 40% - 50%, where it will remain for the rest of the weekend. Winds will be 10 - 15 mph on Friday, falling to 7 - 12 mph the rest of the weekend.
Things To Do - Event, Arts & Entertainment Venues Can Reopen at 33% Capacity April 2nd, Movie Theaters Reopen Today 3/5/21, Many Restaurants Now Open til 11 pm & Who's in Charge?
McGolrick Park farmers market in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn opens on Sunday, March 7th from 10 am - 3 pm.
On Wednesday, March 3, 2021 Governor Cuomo announced that effective April 2nd, 2021 the Events, Arts & Entertainment venues can reopen at 33% capacity. He also said that effective March 22nd, 1) residential outdoor gatherings could include up to 25 people, while 2) non-residential outdoor gatherings could include up to 200 people, while non-residential indoor gatherings would be limited to 100 people.
Some NYC movie theaters reopen today. They will open at 10% capacity or a limit of 50 people per screen and at this time will not be offering concessions as we knew them [generally you have to order concessions via an app]. As of this post the Angelika, IFC, The Village East, and AMC theaters in Manhattan and NiteHawk Cinema in Brooklyn have made announcements that they will be open today. More than half of all movie theaters have not yet announced their reopening plans including many in Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island and Queens.
On February 12th, when NYC restaurants reopened indoor dining, Governor Cuomo extended their opening hours to 11 pm. Since then most restaurants have taken opportunity of the longer hours to accommodate diners.
Who's in Charge? It's worth noting that a number of people I have conversed with - were under the impression that restaurant closures were being managed by the Mayor - but this is not true. Since the pandemic began, Governor Cuomo was granted emergency powers by the NYS Legislature, and Cuomo has been managing most of the healthcare restrictions, including restaurant closure times, as well as all of the other closures and reopenings. If I'm not mistaken, under ordinary circumstances the opening and closing times would be managed at the municipal level [meaning normally it's the Mayor's call but during the emergency CoVid pandemic it was the Governor's call].
We're only a week away from Daylight Savings Time, when we all spring ahead into longer days, where the sun doesn't depart until around 7 pm.
The J&J vaccine was approved last Saturday, February 27, 2021 and already millions of doses have been distributed. While the vaccine was proven to be somewhere between 72% - 85% effective in providing total protection, it was found to be 100% effective against hospitalizations and deaths.
As the J&J vaccine was tested after the stronger mutating CoVid variants started appearing, the effectiveness percent vis a vis the other vaccines might not be apples to apples. And what's more is that it requires only a single dose, no highly sophisticated storage requirements, and can be quickly manufactured.
So things are looking up. Last year farmers markets were classified as essential businesses and while many remained open, they curtailed hours and some went on hiatus. The following is an update for the 2021 season of NYC farmers markets dates / times and selections. We'll update again as we near the opening of the first wave of seasonal markets in May. In the meantime here's a guide to farmers markets, including those that are open year round, by NYC borough. Remember masks, social distancing and hands washing are required. Enjoy.
Movie Theaters, Taxi Drivers, Gun Arrests, the NRA Russia & Trump, Central Park & Bronx Golf Course Concessions Bidding Deadline March 19, 2021, CoVid Testing, Vaccination Stats & Daylight Savings Time Two Weeks Away
Weather. Friday won't see any rain, but on Saturday there's nearly a 100% chance of a small amount [a quarter inch] of rain in the morning. Saturday afternoon should be clear. On Sunday there's also a high probabilty of a half inch of rain, most likely to fall around midday, with a lingering probability lasting the rest of the day [40% - 60%]. Temperature highs will be in the mid 40's to low 50's throughout the weekend and the temperature lows will be in the mid 30's on Friday and hovering around 40 the rest of the weekend. Humidity will rise from the 40% range to near the 70% range on Friday and then stay between the 70% - 80% range the rest of the weekend. Winds will be 50 - 10 mph all weekend.
Things To Do, News Briefs & Updates
- NYC Movie Theaters Can Reopen March 5, 2021
Governor Cuomo announced that movie theaters will be able to reopen at 25% capacity March 5th, 2021.
-Taxi Driver Blockade Brooklyn Bridge in Support of Medallion Debt Restructuring
One story that seemed to receive little attention was a taxi driver blockade of the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday afternoon on February 10th. They were making a statement, following a City Council hearing on loan forgiveness / restructuring for taxi driver medallion debt, earlier in the day. The 25,000 member taxi driver union was supportive of the action. NYC government officials are trying to find a way to help taxi drivers, but are constrained by the current fiscal challenges arising from the CoVid crisis.
- January Gun Arrests Up 75% & Full Year 2020 were Up 29%
At the end of January, NYC Police Commissioner Demot Shea said that 417 gun arrests had been made that month, up 75% versus a year ago. He also noted that last year gun arrests were up 29% versus 2018. He rhetorically asked the question, "what's changed that there are so many guns making their way into NYC?"
- The NRA, Guns, Russian Cash & the Trump Money Laundromat
According to an April 2, 2018 report in Rolling Stone, the NRA President, David Keene, was an honored guest in Moscow at a 2013 event hosted by The Right to Bear Arms group. Prior to and during the 2016 presidential campaign, Russia courted the NRA, including hosting members at all expense paid events.
According to the report, the Russian group was deceitfully presented as 'grassroots' organization, led in part by Maria Butina, seeking comraderie with like minded gun enthusiasts. The reality appears to be that they were working under the influence of the Russian government, in an effort to infiltrate politically conservative groups in the U.S., to become what was alleged to be money laundering conduits for campaign cash to the Trump and other Republican political campaigns.
The NRA was founded in 1871 in New York and recently moved its headquarters to Texas. In February 2019 NYS Attorney General Tisch James filed a lawsuit against the NRA seeking to dissolve it because, the brief contended, it had become so corrupt and self serving and had failed to comply with numerous laws.
In August 2019 the two Republican members of the Federal Election Commission [Caroline Hunter & Matthew Petersen] blocked an investigation into whether Russia had used the NRA as a money laundering machine to funnel [$30 million] cash to Trump and Republicans in the 2016 election. In the 2016 election NRA donations spiked $35 million which was believed to have come from Russian government influenced agents, like the Russian oligarchs. According to an August 20, 2019 report,
" ... The [FEC] split 2-2 vote fell along partisan lines, with the FEC’s two Republicans voting against any further inquiry into whether Alexander Torshin, a sanctioned Russian official, and Maria Butina, a convicted Russian agent, grew close to the NRA in order to help direct the group’s 2016 political donations...."
See earlier reports we did on Mitch McConnell which identify Russian oligarch funding he, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio and other top Republicans received from the Russian oligarchs in 2016 as reported by Open Secrets which is a non-profit group that 'follows the money' of election campaign contributions.
Weather. There will be a small bit of rain today between 11 am - 4 pm. Thereafter the rest of the week should be dry. The temperature highs will be in the 40's all week and the temperature lows will be in the 30's. The winds will be 5 - 10 mph except on Wednesday, when it will be a drafty 13 mph. Humidity will be in the 70% range today, dropping into the 60% range on Tuesday & Wednesday, then down into the 50% range on Thursday and Friday.
All tolled, it looks like a pretty fair week.
PBS - Finding Your Roots - Histories
Last night I came upon one of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.'sFinding Your Roots documentaries on PBS. For more info about this series see - https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/
As I watched, I recollected how in my youth, I had considered Black hisotry to be a superfluous extension of American history. That perspective was, of course, born of youthful ignorance. Since then, I have come to appreciate the importance of Black Studies in providing a more comprehensive view of American history over the centuries. In part, I have PBS to thank, because they have aired and I have watched, quite a number of documentaries - some or all of which they funded or produced - particularly since the CoVid pandemic began.
In the program I viewed last night, one of the people on Gates' Finding Your Roots series was being informed about her family's history. It struck me when Gates referenced her great, great, great, great grandfather on a bill of sale by Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Over the past decade or so, I've become more interested in my own family's history. We knew a fair amount about those ancestors within temporal reach, going back to our great grandfathers, but little beyond. That was until a couple of summers ago when I found that one of the members of our extended family had a collection of scribbled notes and diagrams that recorded our lineage - some of which appears to date back to colonial times and the Revolutionary War. Up until this discovery, I had thought we had become Americans in the latter half of the 18th century.
But it occurred to me, based on Gates' reference to the great, great, great, great grandfather mentioned above, most African Americans' family histories date back at least a couple of centuries. Gates' documentary series delves into the histories of oftentimes, somewhat famous, African Americans who were descendants of slaves, or famous white Christian or Jewish Americans who are descendants of families that owned slaves.
Gates' geneological and genetic explorations also find interesting tidbits, like the fact that comedian Larry David and Senator Bernie Sanders are distantly related. PBS Producer Ken Burns is a descendant of a slave owner, but also related to Abraham Lincoln. And Brian Gumbel discovered he had some previously unknown Jewish ancestry.
Out of Gates' explorations into the past, we learn many things, not the least of which is that African Americans worked the fields, growing cotton and food that fed and clothed the nation, and provided their 'owners' with a tidy profit. It's worth noting that in the early 1800's about 75% of the nation worked in occupations related to agriculture [today it's about 10 - 11%]. But following the Civil War, African Americans' contribution to the nation went far beyond that, including serving our nation in two world wars, providing needed labor for the auto industry and significantly contributing to our culture and history.
Weather. The temperature highs will be in the mid to high 30's and the temperature lows will be in the low to high 20's all weekend. Winds will range from 5 - 10 mph throughout the weekend. Humidity will drop from the high 70% range on Friday to between 50% - 60% the rest of the weekend. There's a forecast of one to two inches of precipitation on Friday and then none the rest of the weekend.
FYI - Next Wednesday, February 24 the temperature highs will near 50 degrees. The photo at right shows a scenic holiday greeting card vista in Queens earlier this month.
Large Scale CoVid Vaccination Centers Operating in All Boroughs
Over the past month, a number of governmental efforts have all been converging on beating back the Corona Virus. At the federal level the Biden Administration has secured hundred of millions of vaccination doses so that by mid year anyone who wants to get vaccinated should be able to do so.
On the State and City level, the Mayor and Governor have set up a number of sites, including at least one mega vaccination site in each borough. In Manhattan the Javits Center opened in mid January, in the Bronx Yankee Stadium opened the second week of February as did CitiField in Queens, in Brooklyn the Brooklyn Army Terminal opened in mid January and on Staten Island Empire Outlets opened today Friday, February 19, 2021.
There are two large supplemental sites planned for opening at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn and York College in Jamaica. I believe they both will be open tomorrow, Saturday February 20th - both opening ahead of some of the first announcement plans, which were scheduled for Wednesday, February 24. This is an outreach effort to ethnic communities which have been lagging behind the general population in getting vaccinated.
Eligibility for Vaccinations. The first few waves of openings were allocated to healthcare workers, first responders and folks over 65 years of age. On Monday, February 15, 2021 the Governor opened up the CoVid vaccinations to those with comorbidities which includes cancer and weakened immune systems, pregnancy, heart conditions, pulmonary liver chronic kidney and sickle cell diseases, diabetes, neurologic conditions, obesity and mental disabilities.
This weekend is Presidents Day Weekend. For many, not all, it's a three day weekend. This means the Post Office and most federal, state and oftentimes municipal offices are also closed.
As of this posting the Presidents Day Weekend Weather. The Temperature highs will be around 30 throughout the three day weekend beginning on Friday, dropping to the high teens nightly, except on Saturday when the low temperature will also be around 30. Precipitation - There's an 80% chance of about two inches of snow late Saturday / early Sunday morning as of this post. Winds will be relatively stable hovering around the 10 mph range throughout the long weekend. The Humidity will range between 60% - 75% throughout the weekend. Click forNYC Weather.
A Few Valentines Day / Presidents Day News Items - Indoor Dining Resumes, Folks with Co-Morbidities become Vaccine Eligible, Vaccine Production & 2nd Trump Impeachment Trial Begins Today
Governor Cuomo announced that indoor dining in NYC resumes on Friday, February 2, 2021 at 25% capacity. NYS positivity rate is about 4%, while the NYC positivity rate is about 8% - but both have been declining since the Thanksgiving / Christmas / New Year surge began in late November / early December of 2020.
This past weekend, Governor Cuomo announced that folks with CoVid comorbidities will be eligible to receive vaccinations effective Monday, February 15, 2021. According to the Governor's website, the CoVid co-morbidities [say that fast five times] include the following:
"... Cancer, Chronic Kidney Disease, Pulmonary Disease, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Heart Conditions, Immunocompromised State, Severe Obesity, Pregnancy, Sickle Cell Disease or Thalassemia, Type 1 or 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Cerebrovascular Disease, Neurologic Conditions and Liver Disease Will Be Eligible ..."
Vaccine production for the U.S. is nearing the 1.5 million doses daily required to meet Biden’s upwardly mobile 100 million vaccinations in the Biden Administration's first 100 days. As of this writing about 10% of all New Yorkers as well as 10% of all Americans have received at least one CoVid vaccination dose.
Trump's Failed Capitol Riot of 2021 Seems Not Unlike Hitler's Failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923
The second Trump impeachment trial began today, Tuesday, February 9th, 2021. Generally I find the rushing of the trial to be an insult to the American people, and the U.S. Constitution philosophies of due process and rule of law. The government officials prosecuting and managing the trial should take all the time required to educate the American people about who Donald Trump really is - not who he says he is.
They need to use the Impeachment Trial to highlight how Trump has significantly battered our democratic processes, undermined Americans' faith in our democratic institutions, personalized the power of the presidency, breached the rule of law, and appears to have colluded with the Russians to undermine our government over the past five years. Oh, yeah, and it all culminated in that lame Capitol Riot Insurrection which was not unlike and had striking similarities to Hitlers' lame / failed Beer Hall Putsch in Germany in 1923.
Ten years later Hitler rose to power as the Nazi Party leader and proceeded, like Trump did during his presidency, to usurp and personalize the power of the state thanks in part to the Goebbels / Murdoch/propaganda machines which misled the citizenry in each nation about who these two leaders were, and also victimized minorities in both nations. In the Beer Hall Putsch, 16 Nazis and four policemen died. In the Capitol Riot four Trumpsters and one policeman died.
Hitler was found guilty of treason following the Beer Hall Putsch, but still rose to power. Will the Senate take the precaution of sanctioning the Donald, or continue to enable the dysfunctional democracy damager - possibly destroyer?
Brief History of Presidents Day Holiday in NYC
A day commemorating Lincoln's birthday was first passed in Buffalo, New York in the early 1870's. Presidents Day originated as Washington's Birthday which was a holiday narrowly prescribed for federal government offices in Washington, D.C. in 1879. The holiday was dedicated to honoring the memory of the first American president, George Washington who was born on February 22, 1732.
In 1885 the holiday was expanded to include all federal government offices around the nation. In 1951 there was a push to create a Presidents Day holiday [vs a George Washington's birthday holiday] to include President Lincoln whose birthday is February 12, 1809 and was also celebrated by localities, but it didn't pass.
In 1971 the holiday was moved off of George Washington's birth date to being the third Monday in February. Thus while it never falls upon Washington's birthday 2/22, the official name of the holiday remains Washington's Birthday. But today, most folks refer to it as Presidents Day and to recognize the presidents who honored the U.S. Constitution and served the interests of the people.
A week from Sunday is Valentine's Day in NYC. We have nearly completed a round up of a number of restaurants by borough that will be open, offering indoor and outdoor dining on that day.
One thing worth noting is that, because of the limited indoor seating [25% capacity] and the resumption of indoor dining from its hiatus, demand is likely to exceed capacity for a regular old fashioned restaurant experience. In fact a few restaurants we spoke to were already sold out and creating waiting lists.
UPDATE. The restaurants had sold out before the Governor had moved up the resumption of indoor dining from beginning on Valentines Day, February 14th to beginning on Friday, February 12th, so there are likely openings for indoor dining over the weekend - if not on Valentines Day itself.
But so far that hasn't been true of the outdoor option, which might be ok, depending on the weather. Here are links to Valentine's Day dining in NYC by borough. These restaurants have been updated for CoVid in 2021.
As Trump's Impeachment Trial Looms, It's Important to Put Things in Context ...
Trump's Russian Mobster Ties, Trump's Taj Casino Violation of Money Laundering Laws & Russian Interference in Favor of Donald Trump in the 2016 Election
Did Trump's Apparent Hedonism & Amoral Proclivity Toward Racism & Violence and Financial Mismanagement, Attract Russia to Using Him to Sow Social & Political Discord in America?
The photo at right shows the headline title and photo of a Politico story about Trump's first trip to Russia in 1987, where all expense were paid and he was a guest of the Russian government.
According to Wikipedia's report on Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election,
" ... According to the special counsel investigation's Mueller Report (officially named "Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election"), the first method of Russian interference used the Internet Research Agency (IRA), a Kremlin-linked troll farm, to wage "a social media campaign that favored presidential candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaged presidential candidate Hillary Clinton". The Internet Research Agency also sought to "provoke and amplify political and social discord in the United States" ..."
Mobster Don? A Russian Mobster Con? A Russian Asset?
Russia's aiding of Donald Trump's 2016 campaign was certainly successful in amplifying political and social discord in the United States.
The photo at right is from a Guardian story on January 29, 2021 about how Trump appears to have been long cultivated as a Russian asset to incite social and political unrest in the United States of America. Russia has used race and ethnicity in its efforts to stir social unrest in the U.S., as well as discredit the United States abroad, since the Cold War began in the 1950's.
And one has to wonder if Russia is still not holding the Donald's feet to the fire, as Putin is believed to operate an Assassination Bureau, using the Russian mob, through which Trump had done business with via Felix Slater. The Wikipedia report on Slater describes him as,
" ... is a Russian-American mobster, convicted felon, real estate developer and former managing director of Bayrock Group LLC, a real estate conglomerate based out of New York City. ... In 1998, Sater pleaded guilty to his involvement in a $40 million stock fraud scheme orchestrated by the Russian Mafia, and became an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ... During Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Sater worked with Michael Cohen, former attorney for The Trump Organization, to broker a deal to build a Trump Tower Moscow, asserting to Cohen that he could boost Trump's election prospects through his Russian contacts. ... On July 9, 2019, Sater appeared before the House Intelligence Committee, but repeatedly withheld testimony and documents concerning the details of a false joint defense agreement and thus remains under subpoena..."
The photo at right shows real estate developer Donald Trump with Felix Slater and one of the principals of Bayrock, a real estate development firm. Bayrock has offices in Trump Tower and Slater was convicted of stock fraud and is believed to have been a Russian mobster. The photo was taken in the first decade of 2000.
As usual, the corporate TV stations and TV networks hyped and sensationalized a big fluffy storm, that only decades ago, would have been just another stormy winter day, that all of us kids wished for, so we didn't have to go to school.
But all that has changed, as now a snowstorm just means kids are attending school from home. If one relied on television broadcasters to tell them what's going on in the wintry world, they're likely to have stayed home and inside, out of fear, instead of enjoying one of nature's most magical days.
I think the folks on TV are afraid of the cold and hot and rain and snow, and perhaps life itself ... or is it that they just want you to be afraid, so you'll stay home watching life pass you by on TV, moderated by the knuckleheads who make the big bucks by hyping stories for ratings?
Dunno.
This Weekend Things To Do
We're in the Process of Transitioning Back from Two Terrible Viruses, to the Post-Trump, Post-Pandemic Normal
Weather. The temperature highs will range from about 20 on Friday, rising to about 30 on Saturday and Sunday. The temperature lows will range from about zero Friday early morning to the low 20's the rest of the weekend. Winds will range from about 15 - 20 mph on Friday, down to about 10 mph on Saturday and around 5 - 10 mph on Sunday. Humidity range from 30% - 40% on Friday and Saturday, rising to 40% - 50% on Sunday. There's a forecast of one to seven inches of precipitation beginning late Sunday evening going through Monday.
The photo at right was taken earlier this month at Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan.
Introduction to the New Post Pandemic Normal
Within the past week or so, the number of vaccinations have doubled to about 20 million nationally. Both NYC and NYS are near the front of the pack, due in part to the Mayor's and Governor's efforts to move us beyond CoVid.
President Biden seems focused on moving the nation out of the pandemic by mandating the wearing of masks in all federal buildings, and on all interstate modes of transportation. He also invoked the Defense Production Act to ensure the nation has enough PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] and vaccines including the needles, vials and people to administer them. Lastly, Biden committed to purchasing an additional 200 million doses of vaccine, for the nation to receive delivery of by, or before, the end of the summer.
This is a sea change of pandemic response from the federal government vis a vis the lackadaisical approach [and denial] of the pandemic by the Trump Administration.
The photo at right shows a couple of women photographing themselves in front of the new Moynihan Train Station near Penn Station in Midtown.
There’s an old saying from about a century ago, that goes something like this,
“Good government doesn’t make good headlines.”
After watching the Trump Administration, I’ve come to believe there’s an apt corollary, which goes something like this,
“Bad government makes great headlines.”
Did Bad Government Make Great Headlines & Drive Murdoch's Fox TV Ratings and Profit?
And Australian born billionaire and propagandist media mogul Rupert Murdoch - the silent hand who pulls the strings on the people and the pols on three continents - should know. Because he appears to have been profiting by exploiting that knowledge and the truth for decades.
But we’ve entered a new era since Trump won the presidency in 2016 because both men were born rich and behave as if the rules don’t apply to them. And unfortunately, they mostly don’t.
Above the Law?
Billionaires Murdoch & Trump Seem to Pummel Those Who Stand up to Them, Sharing Similarities to What Hitler & Goebbels did in Germany in the Early 1930’s, at the Dawn of the Rise of the Nazis
Trump has reportedly financially screwed numerous small contractors, employees, investors and lenders – not to mention the American people - as during his Administration the federal government took on an additional $6 trillion in debt to provide fiscal stimulus and tax breaks to billionaires like Murdoch and himself, as well as to mega millionaires like Sean Hannity of Murdoch’s Fox News propaganda outlet.
Murdoch, in a similar fashion, has publicly abused hundreds, thousands and possibly millions of people by famously hacking their phones for headlines in Britain through his Newscorp, indirectly yanking Britain out of the EU through his Brexit campaign, and indirectly sending troops from his native Australia, as well as Britain and the U.S., to Iraq - by virtue of his media influence in those nations and by cajoling his current business partner, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and one time friend, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Weather. The temperature highs will be in the low to mid 30's and the temperature lows will be in the low to mid 20's. It will be dry, with the humidity fairly stable all weekend at about 40% and no precipitation is in the forecast. The wind will range between 7 - 17 mph.
The photo at right was taken in Little Italy this week. As you know, many of the restaurants have set up outdoor dining to accommodate guests. I ventured out for dinner this week, and it's not as uncomfortable as it looks, especially if you bring along what football fans know of as a seat warmer [a pad to sit on].
CoVid Continues, as do the Vaccinations, buts ...
In NYC there was some good news, in that vaccinations have caught up to the supply. But the bad news is that the Trump vaccination plan didn't exist, and the federal government is unable to live up to its commitment on vaccine supplies. I guess the Donald was too busy trying to use what seemed his fraudulent stop the steal fundraising promotion to be bothered with trying to prevent the rapid rise in deaths we've seen since CoVid arrived here about a year ago.
But we now have a new president who, unlike his predecessor, is qualified for the job. And who appears to be interested in doing the job - in lieu of making headlines every day. I think things will get sorted out in the next few months and by sometime in the summer, we should be moving toward the post pandemic normal.
But that said, beware, as the British Prime Minister said that the new strain of Corona Virus - first detected in his nation - spreads 50% - 70% more easily and is somewhere between 20% - 30% more deadly.
NYS has three boroughs right now that are testing at 9% - Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx - but Brooklyn and Manhattan are testing well below that, so the NYC average is about 6% and appears to be flattening again, as the post holiday surge abates.
The photo at right was taken in Chinatown this week.
Trump Condemns Violence - The Empty Words of a Spiteful Man?
A full week after there was a riot at the Capitol - that Donald Trump helped promote, spoke at along with his small coterie of family and friends, and then departed to watch on TV - he made the following statement, as he was being impeached for the second time by Congress.
“I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week ... Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for. No true supporter of mine could ever endorse political violence.”
One thing we know for certain is that Donald Trump is one of the world's most prolific liars, and so it was that on January 13th, 2021 - just a week before his presidency was to end - he told one of his most unbelieveable lies - that he's against violence. The hollow ring in his words was heard round the world.
It's a well known adage that it's best to measure a man by his deeds - not his words. And with Donald Trump that advice is especially relevant. Donald Trump's life is a scatter book of a bit of violence he committed himself, but mostly which he appears to have incited others to do.
How the President, a Former NYC Mayor and Murdoch's Fox News Seemed to Incite the Capitol Insurrectionists
Rudy Giuliani, Nicknamed America's Mayor by Murdoch's Fox News, Appears to have Helped Incite the Band of Simpleminded Trumpsters to Insurrection
Updated January 11, 2021 from 1.8.21 / US Politics / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Rising Film Star [Barat2] and Former NYC Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, appears to have devolved into something of a national freak show or farce over the past five years. Perhaps longer. But in the past few months, he's become something of a national disgrace.
Fox News seems to use nicknames for their propaganda assets, like referring to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as the 'Iron Lady' and President Ronald Reagan as the 'Gipper'. Rudy Giuliani seems to be yet another Fox propaganda asset and, as such, is oftentimes referred to as America's Mayor by Fox pundits.
This is not unlike how Murdoch's Fox News nicknames themselves America's Newsroom. This was a trick used by Hitler and Goebbels, using words and images to create the illusion that they, the Nazi Party [in this cae the Fox Nation with red, white and blue colors] was the same as the state - and thus represented all that was right and just. But remember - just because Murdoch's Fox News says it's so - doesn't make it so [like they used to call themselves 'Fair & Balanced' before they started fearing a lawsuit for false advertising]. But, the Australian born billionaire's overwhelming control and / or ownership of America's television media [see our special section on Murdoch and the 21st Propaganda Press on Gotham Buzz] does give him a leg up in attaching and making both good and bad labels stick to people, places and things.
On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Rudy Giuliani joined Donald Trump and Donny junior at a Trump rally in Washington, D.C. near the White House. The Donald had promoted this gathering as something 'wild' and related to his seemingly phony stop the steal / election fraud fundraising claims. At the rally Trump told his supporters, numbering about 5,000 [per the park permit] to march down to the Capitol and that he'd be there with them.
I think it's safe to say that the Trump supporters who came to this event came prepared to continue to be misinformed and misled by the con men standing on the stage in front of them. After the speeches the audience mindlessly did as Trump had instructed them, and began marching toward the Capitol - but without their fearful leader [bonespurs acting up again?]. The Trumps and Giuliani were not to be found when the group arrived at the Capitol. What a surprise!
When the Trumpsters reached the barricades in front of the Capitol, the police in charge of protecting it, seemed to give way. What exactly transpired at this juncture we'll find out eventually, but one thing we do know for certain is that Trump didn't deploy as many of the National Guardsmen as he did for his tear gassing photo op with the Bible last summer. So Vice President Mike Pence had to step in to call up more National Guardsmen who eventually secured the Capitol - but not until after it had been ransacked [including one report of defecation].
Honestly, Just How Simple-minded are Trump Republicans?
Donald J. Trump Raises $200 Million in one Month Based on Unsubstantiated Election Fraud Claims
So Senators Ted Cruz & Josh Hawley - Not Wanting to be Kept out of What Seems a Great Scam - Are Fundraising Based on Their Bid for an Unnecessary Election Audit
Classic con men like Donald J. Trump, Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley appeal to certain kinds of people. Too many of them appear to be complete rubes, right out of the old W.C. Fields films ["never give a sucker an even break"].
Most of Trump's, Hawley's and Cruz's 'stop the steal' supporters seem as likely to be sincere in their 'patriotic' Trump / Cruz / Fox News media manipulated intentions, as they are likely to be just plain stupid.
This may help explain why Missouri Senator Josh Hawley and Texas Senator Ted Cruz were so quick to take up the seemingly fraudulent torch of Trump's 'Stop the Steal' campaign. They appear to be staging a phony 'patriotic' effort by objecting to one or more of the contested swing states list of electoral college delegates. The Cruz / Hawley motivation appears to be to put on a show of political theater for an unneeded election audit, in order to fill the Cruz / Hawley campaign coffers with the money of incredibly naive full grown American white men and miscellaneous other Trump Republican donors.
For all of us, today starts the beginning of a new year.
If we stay the course with masks, social distancing and hand washing, we should be able to make it to getting vaccinated - at which point things begin to really change to a better normal, but likely not back to a pre-CoVid normal.
The impact of the vaccinations isn't going to happen quickly as Trump's Operation Warp Speed has turned out to be Operation Super Retarded. But Biden takes the reins in another 18 days, and will likely put things back on track, which means we have another six to twelve months before things will begin feeling somewhat normal. The six to twelve months is how long it's estimated that it will take to manufacture, distribute and vaccinate the majority of the 330 million people who live here. The vaccination process alone takes about two months, as there are two shots and a lag time for your body to build the anti-bodies.
Four years ago Donald Trump achieved one of his dreams and became the President of the United States. Now, four years later, we're witnesses to the Donald failing at his ultimate dream - becoming Dictator of the United States - like his buddies Kim Jong Un is in North Korea, Vladimir Putin is in Russia, and his nemesis Xi Jin Ping is in China.
But it hasn't been for lack of trying.
Trump Uses Federal Government Apparatus Like a Dictator, NOT an American President
Trump appeared to use the federal government bureaucracy in its most corrupt rendition since the birth of the republic 230 years ago - to lie, cheat and steal his way to victory.
trump tries to steal the election even though AG bill barr & DHS Krebs says it was a fair electionTrump called on Bill Barr's Department of Justice to 'investigate voter fraud' when there was none. On December 1, 2020 - a full four weeks after the election Barr finally spoke the truth - that there wasn't any widespread fraud.
Trump seemed to use Chad Wolfe's Department of Homeland Security to fund and operate campaign style food giveaways which included promotional style letters with his name on it, even though it was a federal operation using the American taxpayers' money.
He seemed on numerous occasions to try to bend Republicans in local and state government positions and the courts to go along with his fictional voter fraud claims. As of this writing 27 of the 41 lawsuits filed by Trump / Republicans were either dismissed or lost.
Trump appeared to have one of his lackeys, Louis DeJoy, gerry rig the U.S. Post Office, so the postal organization would be challenged to fulfill its role in delivering mail and absentee ballots to the Boards of Elections. This was identified in August and Congress halted it.
He seemed to use Mike Pompeo's State Department as a campaign promotional tool with part real and part fictional peace deals, as well as using the State Department as a dirt digging operation - again using taxpayers' money - to extort dirt or allegations of dirt, on rival Joe Biden. In late 2019 Trump was impeached for using the government as a campaign tool.
Trump seemed to try to use Chad Wolfe's Department of Homeland Security to foment violence in American cities this summer, so he could run as the 'law and order president'. There was an uproar in Congress about this misuse of the DHS and it was halted.
And Trump even called up the U.S. Military to provide air support for a photo op, where he held up a Bible he had never read, as a symbol of his phoniness.
See below for other enablers in the Senate and Congress, like Mitch McConnell.
The following represent an update of the in-person holiday markets and / or the in-person holiday events that will be open this season in all five boroughs.
I found far more going on than I expected ... although admittedly quite a bit less than in prior years ... but that said, there were a few markets or events in each borough.
Manhattan Holiday Markets & Holiday Events NYC
On Wednesday, December 2, 2020 from 7 - 10 pm there's the Rockefeller Tree Lighting ceremony at 5th Avenue at 48th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Nobody will be allowed in the plaza area, so your best bet of seeing the lights go on at 8 pm are via TV [NBC] from home.
From Saturday, October 30th, 2020 through January 3rd, 2021 the Winter Market at Bryant Park at 6th and 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan is open. Over 100 vendors will be selling their wares from 11 am - 8 pm daily. The market opens at 10 am on the weekends.
From November 16 thru December 24, 2020 the Grand Central Holiday Fair, featuring 40 vendors, has gone virtual at www.grandcentralterminal.com.
Both Union Square and the Columbus Circle holiday markets 2020 won't be open this year.
The weekend of December 4th thru 6th, 2020 the St John the Divine Crafts Fair will go virtual at www.craftsatthecathedral.org. They provide a unique assortment of artistic items, clothing and gifts.
ADD DATES / Chelsea Flea / On Saturdays & Sundays from 8 am - 4 pm at
29 West 25th St.reet between 5th & 6th Aveenues.
ADD DETAILS / Winter Garden at Brookfield Place.
Brooklyn Holiday Markets & Holiday Events NYC
On Saturdays from now through December 2020 from 10 am - 4 pm there's the Brooklyn Flea Market under the Manhattan Bridge Archway at the 80 Pearl Street Plaza. Customers and vendors are asked to maintain six-feet of distance, wear a mask and use hand sanitizer.
From Friday, November 27 thru Sunday, December 20, 2020 [Fri / Sat / Sun only] the Makers Show at Citipoint at 445 Albee Square West Brooklyn will be open from 12 noon to 8 pm. They offer crafts, food and drink. You must rsvp via Eventbrite [free] to go and they maintain a number of CoVid protocols.
From Thanksgiving 2020 through New Years 2021 from dusk to 9 pm the Dyker Heights Xmas Lights are burning with joy. The neighborhood holiday lighting extravaganza is located along 11th, 12th and 13th Avenues between 83rd and 86th Streets, and viewing is free.
From December 10 thru 17, 2020 there's the Grand Army Menorah Lighting at Grand Army Plaza beginning respectively at 5 pm / 3.30 pm / 7 pm / 5.30 pm and then 6 pm until Hanukkah is over. In the Prospect Heights / Park Slope neighborhoods of Brooklyn.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, December 10 - 13, 2020 the Brooklyn Ballet will do about 20 minutes of performances of the Nutcracker outside the Jewel Box at 160 Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn beginning at 5.30 and 6.30 pm on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and an extra performance at 4.30 pm on Sunday and Saturday performances at 6.30 & 7.30 pm. Free.
ADD TIME / On Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays December 3 - 27, 2020, there's the Caribbeing Holiday Market at the LeFrak Center in Prospect Park featuring handmade arts, crafts, jewelry, spices, ornaments.
ADD DATE / Saturday & Sundays only from 10a - 4p Smorgasburg.com Dumbo Holiday Flea _ Vintage and handmade for sale at Dumbo Archway.
The 2020 Handmade Cavalcade is doing online on 11/28 & 11/29 Only.
ON 11/20/20 CANCELLED DUE TO COVID. On Friday, December 4th, the Fort Hamilton Holiday Market & Celebration will be held at 101st Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway at the fort. The event includes a holiday market and tree lighting, but must rsvp. Free admission.
The 2020 Renegade Craft Fairs formerly at the Expo Center in Greenpoint last year has been cancelled til 2021.
The 2020 Bust Craftacular also appears to be on a CoVid hiatus.
Queens Holiday Markets & Holiday Events NYC
On December 6th, 2020 from 3 - 5 pm there's the Flushing Holly History Tour on YouTube. Tickets may be purchased for $5 - $35 on Eventbrite.
Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden holiday market for 2020 has been cancelled due to CoVid concerns.
Bronx Holiday Markets & Holiday Events NYC
On
Friday & Saturday, November 27 & 28,
Saturdays December 5 & 12,
Friday & Saturday December 18 & 19,
Saturday, December 26 thru Wednesday, December 30 & Friday January 1, 2021, Saturdays January 2 & 9, 2021 there's the NYBG Holiday Train Show at the NY Botanical Gardens in the Bronx. Admission $30 Adults / Kids 2 - 12 $18 - ONLY Available to Members & Bronx Community Partners only this year due to limited capacity.
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays November 20, 2020 - January 10, 2021 as well as Christmas Week all days except Xmas Eve & Day and New Years Day, there's the BX Zoo Holiday Lights. Showtimes at 3.30 pm / 5 pm / 6 pm / 7 pm / 8 pm. Admission $35 Adults / $23 Kids / $32 Seniors.
From 11.27 - 1.10.21 no Mondays & Tuesdays except Christmas / New Year week. Not Xmas or New Years Eves. And not 1.4 - 1.7.21. Lumino City at 20 Randall’s Island Park on Randall’s Island. Admission $29 / $25 for Students & Seniors / $17 for kids 3 - 12.
Staten Island Holiday Markets & Holiday Events NYC
On Sunday December 13, 2020 beginning at 2 pm there's the Nutcracker on the lawn of the Alice Austen House at 2 Hylan Blvd. Admission is $25.
On Saturday & Sunday, December 5 & 6, 2020 from 11a - 4p there's a Makers Sapce Holiday Market. It's outdoors at MakerPark corner of Thompson & Front Street featuring ten unique vendors with handcrafted and vintage items for sale. CoVid Guidelines in effect for all markets.
ADD WEBSITE URL / Saturdays, November 28 - December 19, 2020 from 4.30 - 8.30 pm there are Historic Richmond Town Candlelight Tours at 441 Clarke Avenue in Richmond County. It costs $120 - $150 per group up to six. Rsvp via their website and CoVid restrictions in place.
On Friday, December 4, 2020 - National Lighthouse Museum Golf Outing at South Shore Golf Course on 200 Hugenot Road. 11.30 am registration and Tee Off Time at 12.30 pm. BBQ included. Admission $125 per golfer.
December 20, 2020 from 1 pm – 4 pm there's a Snug Harbor Wreath Making Workshop. Meet at Visitor Info Booth on Chapel Road at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. Admission is $30 Adults, $24 Students/Seniors & $24 Members. Rsvp, no refunds & CoVid guidelines in effect.
NYC Hotels, Restaurants & Entertainment Continue to Feel the CoVid Pain, Also Real Estate & Construction but Less so, and Things Should Gradually Improve in 2021
November 16, 2020 / NYC Neighborhoods / Business & Real Estate NYC / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
CoVid & Donald Continue Raging
So the CoVid pandemic is raging wildly in the nation, while the Demento in the White House is raging with reckless false claims about the 'rigged election'. The Donald also made these same false claims four years ago, when he won the electoral college contest, but failed to win the popular vote.
This time America's biggest loser lost both the electoral college vote contest and popular vote [by nearly six million], but the fraudster President has found his false claims of a stolen election, is a great way to raise funds from our nation's morons, who somehow still believe his lies. As the saying goes,
"We're all born ignorant. But you have to try really, really hard to remain so."
I consider Donald Trump losing the White House, to be the one silver lining coming out of the CoVid pandemic.
Meanwhile back in NYC, we continue to fare far better than the rest of the nation vis a vis CoVid, perhaps having learned our lessons last Spring. When I look at the CoVid map of the United States, I'm beginning to interpret it as a sort of national I.Q. test. Those places where it's raging most - almost a year since the pandora came out of the box - are states with slow learning media, slow learning government officials and slow learning populations. Otherwise, why would CoVid be raging again, after all that we have learned in the past year?
Trump is Battling the Election Results Like He's Battled CoVid, his Trump-Sized Budget Deficit & Climate Change - Ignore the Facts & Change the Perception
A Sore Loser, Poor Sport & a Rich Old Man's Tantrum?
Donald Trump has never comported himself with any dignity or decency befitting the presidency - so why would anyone expect his presidency to end with it?
Except the low information, no information and disinformation voters who cling to him like he's some sort of savior.
We saw this same sort of phenomena occur in the 1930's and 1940's in Germany. That was a story that didn't end well for that nation - and it would have been far, far worse - were it not for the decency and generosity of the American people.
By all accounts, Biden is the likely victor of the 2020 presidential race. He leads in electoral college votes and it appears he needs to close only one or two more states to finish the race, which in most remaining states and by most accounts, seem to be trending in his favor.
America's Top Fixer, Rudy Schmooliani, Fresh Out of Improv Role in Borat2, Returns to Star Role in the TV Presidency of DJT
The Trump Campaign began pulling out all stops to halt the fair part of the American electoral process, by summoning America's Fixer, Rudy Giuliani, to lead the litigation publicity program.
Schmooliani had just finished filming his cameo role in Borat 2, but wasted no time in zipping up his pants again, before departing for Philadelphia to make an important stage appearance in the Epilogue segment of the TV Presidency of DJT.
In the photo at right, a still shot taken from the film Borat 2, shows Rudy Giuliani making 'an adjustment to his microphone'. I do hope Rudy washed his hands after tampering with his 'microphone', as these days one can never be sure of what kind of bacterial or viral germs one might be exposed to by touching things.
Kentucky Insanity: Voting Repeatedly for Mitch McConnell & Expecting Things to Change
Kentucky Has the 6th Highest Poverty Rate, Ranks 46th in Healthcare, 44th in Education & 45th in Income While
McConnell’s Leadership Enriches Him & his Taiwanese Born Wife, so that Mitch is Now in the Top Ten Wealthiest Senators Club
October 26, 2020 Updated from 10/13 & 10/21/20 / NYC Neighborhoods / U.S. Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Monday night Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell squared off against challenger former Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath. She, along with another woman, were the first females assigned to the Marine All Weather Attack Squadron.
Televised debates these days, seem to shed little light on the candidates or issues. This may be in part due to the format of them, as well as the failure of the debate moderators to hold the candidates' feet to the fire by pressing them on tough questions, and the current climate of conversational corruption where politicians pretty much say whatever the hell they want to say ... regardless of the truth.
So I did some of my own digging to learn more about Mitch McConnell. What I found surprised me, given how deep the rabbit hole goes and yet how little attention has been given to one of the most powerful men in Washington. So it may surprise you too.
DEFINITION OF INSANITY - Repeatedly Doing the Same Thing Expecting a Different Result
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
The image at right was found in a web magazine, Forward Kentucky earlier this year. Donald Trump fired FIVE inspectors and among them was one investigating McConnell's wife.
What are they afraid of ... the truth?
And that is exactly what Kentuckians appear to have been doing for decades, having reportedly voted for Mitch in various elections approximately THIRTY TIMES in a row.
Let’s take a look.
RICH MITCH - McConnell is the Longest [Self?] Serving Republican Leader in Senate History
In June 2018, Mitch McConnell became the longest ‘serving’ Senate Republican Leader in the history of the Senate.
McConnell has been a Kentucky Senator for nearly 36 years, having first taken office in January 1985.
He’s been the Republican Senate Majority Leader for nearly six years - since January 2015, and the Republican Senate Minority Leader since January 2007 – another eight years and Republican Senate Majority Whip from 2003 - 2007.
And he’s been ‘serving’ Kentucky as a senator since 1985.
POOR KENTUCKY - Kentucky Ranks Near the Bottom in Education, Healthcare and Income
And yet Kentucky has little to show for Mitch's length of service – even though Mitch McConnell keeps telling them how good is for them, as he’s been a member of the elite Republican Leadership for decades.
But McConnell he likes to tell Kentuckians - he's the only top federal political leader who is not from one of the big urban centers on the coasts, even though he’s been living in Washington, D.C. for one helluva lot longer than he ever lived in Kentucky. And he’s married to a Taiwanese born millionairess who has never lived in Kentucky, per se, during the nearly three decades of their blissful married life.
So what difference does it make where Mitch McConnell claims he is from, if he’s not representing the people of Kentucky? But rather … representing the big corporate and foreign interests that appear to fund his campaigns and enrich – not the state of Kentucky – but their chosen one, their ‘representative’ Senate Majority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell.
NOT A NATIVE KENTUCKIAN - Why Alabama Born McConnell May not Care About Kentucky
I suspect part of the reason that Mitch McConnell doesn’t care that much about Kentucky, is because he wasn’t born there, and he mostly did not grow up there. McConnell was born in ALABAMA in 1942, and then – by way of GEORGIA – arrived in KENTUCKY in 1956 at age 14. I think it's worth mentioning that McConnell's great, great grandparents – on both sides - were Alabama slave owners, which we’ll get to shortly.
In 1968 McConnell left Kentucky for the big city, Washington, D.C., for a couple of years. He returned to Kentucky to run for office in 1971, but failed to meet the Kentucky residency requirement. In 1974 McConnell left Kentucky again for Washington, D.C. to work in the Ford Administration. Gerald Ford lost the election in 1976, so McConnell returned to Kentucky to run for office again. This time Kentuckians cut him a break and elected him the Jefferson County Executive, an office he held until he was elected in 1984 to ‘represent’ them as a senator, at which time he departed Kentucky for Washington, D.C. where he's been ever since.
So all tolled, McConnell only spent about 24 years in Kentucky [1984-1956=28-2-2=24], which is not even a third of his 78 years of life. And McConnell has spent 36 years ‘representing’ Kentuckians in the big city of Washington, D.C. – where he has lived half again as much time, as he has lived in Kentucky. So while Mitch doesn’t appear to represent Kentuckians – one has to ask how could he - given he has spent so little time there and it was what seems a lifetime ago?
McConnell Received Educational Deferment from Military, Followed by Medical Exemption for Optic Neuritis – Not Polio
According to Wikipedia, after McConnell’s educational deferment from the military expired in 1967, McConnell ‘served’ about a month. The same report tells us McConnell was diagnosed with optic neuritis – a temporary inflammation in the eye that can cause temporary blindness. According to a few Google searches, optic neuritis is a common eye problem that self resolves in about four to 12 weeks. There are severe cases of it, but given McConnell is 78 years old and we’ve heard nary a word of it since his getting out of military service, I suspect his case was 'mild’, not unlike Trump's CoVid case. McConnell is also said to have contracted polio, but apparently escaped any significant long term impairment, as we see him walking up and down the halls of the Capitol without a problem.
MONEY BAGS MITCH - McConnell Supported by Chinese, Russian & Australian Immigrants
In 1984 McConnell became a Kentucky Senator. And while most Kentuckians don’t like him and neither do most Americans – Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch’s soon to be media executive, Roger Ailes, ran McConnell's first campaign. Murdoch seems to have been influential in rolling back media regulations beginning around that time, so it wouldn't be a big leap to assume that McConnell helped Murdoch feather his nest through regulatory rollbacks, while Murdoch helped keep McConnell in place as an enabler in hacking through the regulatory environment which had previously held large media corporations in check. Murdoch controls Fox News, the NY Post, the Wall St Journal and in 2019 became the largest shareholder of Disney / ABC in an inverted takeover.
We'll zoom in on why the rich Chinese and Russian born immigrants started backing Mitch McConnell a little further in the story.
McConnell Sells Out or Trades in his Old Kentucky Home?
McConnell was married to a Kentucky woman, Sherrill Redmon, from 1968 [around the time of his military deferment] to 1980 [around the time he was re-elected but a few years before he hit the big time as a senator beginning in 1984]. In the early years in Kentucky McConnell was considered a liberal leaning moderate [his ex-wife and one or more of his daughters still seem to lean more toward the middle, having oppposed the Brett Kavanaugh SCOTUS confirmation].
But McConnell's views seemed to quickly change after he hired Roger Ailes, [who later became Fox News CEO], to run his 1984 Senate campaign. This was followed by McConnell 's social climbing upward mobility when he met and married his new Chinese American wife, who connected his campaign to a multi-million dollar money train. Taiwanese born Elaine Chao's mega millionaire father is well connected to the Chinese Communist Party Leadership, owns a Chinese American Shipping Company, and he and her family have donated millions to McConnell, as well as his and Republican PACs.
The Decade McConnell Went From Kentucky Mitch to Shanghai Mitch
Following the 1984 election Rolling Stone story reports McConnell,
“As I always say,” McConnell wrote in his book, “the three most important words in politics are ‘cash on hand.’ ”
Weather. The temperature highs will be in the high 60’s and lows in the low to mid 50’s. There’s a 10% chance of a tiny amount of rain Sunday. Humidity will be between 50% and 60%. And winds will be about 5 mph. All in all not a bad fall weekend.
Check Your Voter Registration / Or Register Online Using Link
I recommend voting in person if you’re at all able, as nearly one in ten mail in votes are disqualified on technical grounds. If you’re at risk for CoVid or can’t vote in person for any other reason, then vote by mail, making sure you follow all of the guidelines to the letter including sending it in as soon as possible. There was a huge mail ballot snafu in Brooklyn, so if you live in Brooklyn and received a mail ballot with an incorrect name on either the ballot or envelope, contact the Board of Elections for a new one.
Fill in the Census: We’re Lagging the Nation so We Could Lose a Lot of Federal Funding
There’s been a struggle over lengthening the time allowed for census takers to obtain census information. The original deadline was July 31st, which was extended to October 31st, which was shortened to September 30th, which was stayed until Sunday, October 4th. And today it was re-extended to October 31st. Given the back and forth I recommend filling it out right now, if you haven’t already.
Each person counted in the census is worth about $30,000 to $40,000 per person in federal funding for schools, hospitals, mass transit, law enforcement and social services. And it only takes ten minutes, which you can do now by clicking the photo at right. It’s the most amount of money you’ll likely ever make for the time expended in your life, so please do it for yourself, your family and / or your community. Here's the link to the census.
https://my2020census.gov?utm_source=queensbuzz
NYC and NYC lag the rest of the nation in filling out the census, which means we won’t get a proper share of funds and representation in Washington if folks don’t fill out the census and quickly. Currently just under 64% of New Yorkers have filled out the census, while in the state of Utah just under 71% have filled out the census. That’s a lot of cash in federal funding we’re leaving on the table.
Events & Things To Do in NYC & Cancellations
The International Center of Photography opened its doors on Thursday, October 1st with a new photo exhibit about CoVid. The exhibit uses photographs collected from around the boroughs, the state, the nation and around the world. You have to rsvp a spot online at icp.org and adherence to CoVid guidelines is required.
In October a number of normally huge events have gone online including the following.
The NY Film Festival at Lincoln Center went online beginning September 17th and runs through October 11th - https://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2020/
Comic Con has gone online for the weekend of October 8th – 11th.
Swimming at indoor pools is now possible effective Wednesday, September 30th at 33% capacity and with CoVid guidelines in place.
The Rockettes Holiday kickoff and season of performances has been cancelled for this year. They will participate in some manner in the blended online / staged Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Australian born Billionaire, Rupert Murdoch Seems to use the Wall St Journal, NY Post & Fox News to Create the Illusion that Trump has Some Sort of Economic Magic Touch, but the Truth is $6 Trillion in New Debt & $3 Trillion in Federal Reserve Bond Purchases
Few real journalists - if any - have ever honestly accused Rupert Murdoch and most of the large media brands he controls in our nation, of being bastions of truth. In fact, it would seem, quite the opposite - including by some of the people who work for him.
When Murdoch purchased the Wall Street Journal in 2007 [fact check], there were concerns that he would turn it into another one of his propaganda rags. Shortly after the acquisition, a number of Wall Street Journal reporters fled to Bloomberg News. In fact dozens of them. Those journalists that remained at the Wall Street Journal, had to learn how to operate for an Australian born billionaire who seems to delight in misleading the masses - rather than informing them - in order to profit from the audience's ignorance, to which Murdoch media appear to contribute greatly. Murdoch is kind of like a street hustler whose propagandists do sleight of tongue [hand] tricks, while his political accomplices [puppets like Trump & McConnell] pick the pockets of the audience [Americans].
Not Your Father's Wall Street Journal - A Murdoch Propaganda Rag?
This summer over 280 journalists at the Wall Street Journal, became concerned that Herr Murdoch - like Nazi propagandist Herr Goebbels before him - was corrupting the Wall Street Journal into a propaganda outlet, in advance of the election this November. While Murdoch's distortion of the truth in the Wall Street Journal appears to have been going on for years, the event that immediately precipitated the letter, was a misleading - even deceptive - Op Ed by Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence.
In the letter they had a few simple requests. A July 21, 2020 report in the Wall St Journal states,
"... [The WSJ's] Opinion’s lack of fact-checking and transparency, and its apparent disregard for evidence, undermine our readers’ trust and our ability to gain credibility with sources ...”
" ... The letter cites several examples of concern, including a recent essay by Vice President Mike Pence about coronavirus infections ... "
“.. [and that] WSJ journalists should not be reprimanded for writing about errors published in Opinion ..."
"... suggests removing opinion pieces from the “Most Popular Articles” and “Recommended Videos” lists on the website, and creating a separate “Most Popular in Opinion” list..."
" ... letter highlighted was an opinion article titled “The Myth of Systemic Police Racism,” which the letter’s authors said was one of the paper’s most read articles in June. The article argued that the “charge of systemic police bias was wrong during the Obama years and remains so today.” The letter says the piece “selectively presented facts and drew an erroneous conclusion from the underlying data...”
i have reported on similar truth distortions by Rupert Murdoch's media, including Fox News, the NY Post and many other media outlets controlled by him in our section about Rupert Murdoch and the Rise of the 21st Century Propaganda Press, which you can find by clicking this link.
Triumph of The [Rupert's] Will: How Murdoch Manipulates Voter's Perceptions & Public Policy
Australian born Billionaire Appears to use his Media Outlets to Shape Voter's Views, Loading them with Misconceptions, So They'll Elect Compromised Fox Nation Pols, Who Upon Assuming Office, Seem to Reward Murdoch's Media Support, by Crafting Public Policy to Conform to Murdoch's Will, Favoring his Business Interests
As mentioned previously, I've been doing a fairly deep dive into learning as much about the Third Reich and Nazi Germany as time permits, in order to more fully understand what's happening in present day events.
Media Manipulation for Fun & Profit
I began noticing similarities between Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch's manipulative use of his large share of Amerian media in 2016, to what Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda for the Nazis, did beginning in the 1920's until his end in 1945. On May 1, 1945 Goebbels poisoned his children, his wife and himself as the Allied forces neared his home. Hitler and his companions had committed suicide the day before, as Allied forces invaded Berlin. None of them had the courage to stand trial for their crimes against humanity ... although like Mussolini, they may not have made it to court.
1. Did Fox 'News' Attempt to Protect the Reputation of a Propaganda Asset via Omission?
So today, we're going to look at just a few of Murdoch's media manipulations made in just the past couple of months - and I'm nearly certain that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, I don't have the resource to fact check what is the largest misleading news content producing organization in the nation, and possibly the free world.
Let's start with the first two photos on this page. This story broke in the Guardian on July 7, 2020.
The first photo shows Fox News 'reporting the news' regarding the sexcapades of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell. In the first photo, Fox News conveniently cropped out Donald Trump. In the second photo [at right] we have the 'full picture' aka the truth.
The man who calls everyone else a 'sleezeball' is seen with Melania 'being best', and two of the people alleged to be among some of the sleeziest on the planet [Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell]. Do birds of a feather flock together?
So we must ask why Rupert Murdoch would crop Donald Trump out of the photo? Is it to avoid portraying the Donald in a negative light in order to keep him - a Murdoch asset - in office?
Trump appears to have been a boon to billionaire Murdoch through massive billionaire tax cuts funded by debt to be paid for by America's children and unborn? Or is because Trump's actions in the Middle East vis a visIsrael seemed to serve to legitimize Murdoch's investment in Genie Energy in the illegally occupied Syrian Golan Heights? Or was it because Trump loosened up the FCC ownership limits for mega media companies like Murdoch's thus allowing the few to control our media, which givens them the power to influence the national democratic conversation - and in Murdoch's case - it seems the power to corrupt it in order to profit from it. Or was it because Trump famously fired all U.S. Attorneys, including Preet Bharara - who was investigating Murdoch's companies for sexual harrassment and phone hacking - less than 24 hours after Sean Hannity on Fox News told him to do just that? Perhaps most importantly, Trump's Attorney General Bill Barr, greenlighted the merger of Disney / ABC, which was an inverted takeover resulting in Rupert Murdoch becoming Disney / ABC's largest shareholder.
On Saturday morning around 11 am a Blue Lives Matter parade began on Greenpoint Avenue and 39th Street in Sunnyside Queens. I arrived shortly after it began and followed it up to Joseph Sabba Park where several people were to give speeches to the parade participants and attendees.
As the parade arrived at Joseph Sabba Park they were met by a group of Black Lives Matter protesters who were kneeling on the sidewalk holding placards making Black Lives Matter statements. The Blue Lives Matter parade participants paused as they came in direct contact. As I sat there video recording the ‘confrontation’ I wondered whether things might take a turn for the worse and go badly.
Blue Lives Matter Parade & Speakers Queens NYC
Whoever was leading the Blue Lives Matter parade, wisely led the Blue Lives Matter parade around the Black Lives Matter protesters - rather than risking walking through them - where someone on one side or another might have escalated the tension to a higher level.
The Blue Lives Matter parade participants and attendees settled in the middle of Joseph Sabba Park and the speeches began. The first speaker, whose name I didn’t catch, spoke supportively of the police and the important work they do in the community. He struck a human chord, noting that the men and women who serve in the police force are dedicated to serving the community, among whom are their own families and children. He ended saying we’re all human.
The second speaker struck a more passionate Blue Lives Matter tone, remarking that the ‘Diaphragm’ Law hindered police from doing their jobs. The Diaphragm Law allows police officers to be subject to a misdemeanor if they constrict a person’s diaphragm in the process of making an arrest.
What I recorded of both of these speeches will be shown in the video.
The signs of the Blue Lives Matter parade participants also showed a range of thoughts and emotions, ranging from striking a supportive and yet harmonious chord, while others were defiantly in support of the police – seeming to ignore the validity of the Black Lives Matter social unrest. They included Enough with the hate, respect goes both ways, to Reform is for criminals, drug addicts and sex offenders.
As far as I know, nobody has ever accused Rupert Murdoch of running an unbiased news operation. In fact, it's seems just the opposite, as countless people have found countless significant reporting errors by his mammoth news operation, which in the U.S. alone represents about half the large corporate branded news content viewed by Americans including Fox News, the Wall St Journal, the NY Post, Barron's, MarketWatch and increasingly ABC News where Murdoch is the largest shareholder.
What is most disturbing, is how the pinocchio propagandists on some Murdoch media outlets appear to omit key facts, in order to put forth narratives that are at odds with the truth, which are then imprinted on the minds of the millions upon millions of viewers who watch and believe what they see and hear on Fox News.
Manipulating what ends up in people's minds is exactly what Joseph Goebbels did as the Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany in the 1930's and 1940's. As in Nazi Germany, Herr Murdoch's propaganda ministry in the U.S., appears to use the media to favor some people or groups at the expense of other people and groups in its reporting. Oftentimes the groups Murdoch appears to favor break along race and economic class lines. We're going to look at how Tucker Carlson appears to have put forth a false Fascist narrative that further victimizes the African American victims of unnecessary violence at the hands of rogue policemen, whose errant behavior is defended far too often by the police unions.
To be sure, those who fall prey to such mass media manipulation, are also responsible for their own ignorance and subsequent behaviors, including their voting.
Thomas Jefferson said,
“Ignorance of the law is no excuse in any country. If it were, the laws would lose their effect, because it can always be pretended.”
We saw this pretension of ignorance and denial of responsibility by many Germans following World War II, including from those operating in influential posts with access to top levels of the Nazi high command. They pretended their ignorance, but generally the truth wills out.
I'll make my case regarding Murdoch's Fox News and Tucker Carlson's reporting of African Americans appearing to be victimized by rogue policemen on Fox News Tucker Carlson's nationally televised show. I identified a couple of shows, which were broadcast over American airwaves using a high number of FCC licenses, reaching millions upon millions of Americans who appear to have been disinformed in what seems a systematic effort by Australian born billionaire Rupert Murdoch's media to provide distorted reporting with respect to incidents of police brutality vis a vis the African American community.
Fox News & Tucker Carlson Twist the Facts to Make a Trap for Fools?
The first incident we're going to review, is Tucker Carlson's Fox News coverage of the Rayshared Brooks shooting in Atlanta on Friday, June 12th, 2020. Rayshard Brooks was a 27 year old African American and father of three who was found misparked in a Wendy's parking lot, apparently sleeping. He was found to have a blood alcohol of nearly .11 which is above the legal limit for driving of .08. Brooks was not stopped while driving, but rather after he had misparked his car in a Wendy's drive thru queue.
Casino Royale: Will the Donald Bankrupt America with Trillions in Spending?
The Administration, meanwhile, seems terribly out of touch with reality. Their retarded response to the CoVid pandemic paved the way for the viral explosion. One of their greatest mistakes was that they politicized Americans’ choice to defend themselves from the virus by wearing a mask, and they squandered away trillions of the public’s money – with the enabling help of the Democrats – to keep businesses functioning, without obtaining much in the way of concessions from them.
If the Donald is a great negotiator, then he’s negotiating away American’s future, in exchange for a junkie boost to his reelection prospects, and self-enrichment [there was a $160 billion tax break given to real estate developers like Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner and he fired five Inspector Generals within the six weeks that the largest spending bills in American history were passed totallying $3 trillion].
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel obtained an equity stake of 20% - 25% from Lufthansa, in exchange for the German government bailout of that airline. And now the Donald and Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are in discussions to throw away another trillion or more in added stimulus - again without obtaining any concessions from those who will receive it.
The image at right shows the headline of a January 9, 2019 report in Vanity Fair. This report was published over a year before the $3 trillion in stimulus spending done in March / April of 2020.
Bread Crumbs for the Masses & Melania's "I Don’t Care Do U?"
There was $3 trillion in stimulus spending bills passed in late March and early April of 2020. But the money that working class Americans [161 million people] received in the form of U.S. Treasury $1,200 checks amounts to only $193 million [161 x $1,200] of the $3 trillion stimulus spending done to date. And then there was the extra $600 per week in added stimulus payments - which paid many unemployed workers more than they had been making and reportedly cost the American taxpayer over $15 billion per week according to a July 17, 2020 CNBC report.
The CNBC report noted that 25.6 million were on this $600 per week government payout program. According to the report the reason the total pandemic relief recipients are higher than the unemployed is because the package includes people who are,
“… business owners, self-employed Americans, gig workers and independent contractors who are not typically eligible for unemployment.”
So a rough estimate of the cost of this $600 per week program is 13 weeks x $600 per person per week x 26 million = $203 million. If you add the payments from these two payout programs together then the total payout to working Americans was [$203 billion plus $193 billion] was $396 billion or 13% of the stimulus spending. Thus it seems - a relatively small number of mega millionaire and billionaire real estate developers like Donald Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner and their [industry segment] friends - collected over a third as much as what all working classs Americans collectively received in stimulus handouts.
This self dealing doesn't seem to be anything new for the Trumps. And the Trump insensitivity to those who less fortunate than they are, appears equally legendary. As you can see in the June of 2018 Bazaar report above, Melania Trump demonstrated an incredible insensitivity during a visit to the Texas border detention centers for immigrant children, when she wore a jacket that had the words "I don't care do u" on it.
The video below is an interpretive depiction of a protest event in McCarren Park early last week. The piece is meant to be savored - like food, music and cinematography.
I watched the George Floyd protests unfold on the nightly TV newscasts for a couple of days before venturing out myself to see what I might learn. The protests began on Friday, May 29th in NYC, following the death of George Floyd, an African American who was asphyxiated, apparently due to a Minneapolis policeman holding a knee over George Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes which was caught on video.
TV News Appears to Sensationalize More than Inform
On Saturday night Fox News ran and reran the same footage multiple times of a car burning, seeming to hype and sensationalize the footage into a full blown ‘riot’. The a lot of the Fox footage was taken from the air, in a helicopter which they lease (reportedly) for millions annually, which again repeatedly showed video of the crowd below, which appeared to be mostly our men in blue. So given little good video, they talked about groups dallying into the police and back again – but really didn’t seem to have any video to support their claims. The next day Mayor de Blasio reported that there were no deaths and no serious injuries to members of the NYPD or the crowd. But there was some looting.
An NBC news account made the situation seem far more chaotic than it was by shaking the camera, providing the appearance of chaos. And so on.
More Photos & Video Coming Wednesday
Covering the George Floyd Protests in NYC from the Ground - Not from a Cushy Corporate Media Chopper
The ‘crisis’ seemed to be more manufactured by the TV news, than by what was actually happening on the streets, which is why I decided I needed to cover this myself. Second hand TV news seems increasingly like garbage news, but before I could make such a claim, I had to see for myself.
Having grown up in a newspaper family, I’ve been watching the news and presentation of it all of my life, beginning with the Kennedy assassination, which my father made all of us watch as he said it was history in the making. Back then the news was owned by dozens, if not hundreds of independent newspapermen and broadcasters, so like social media, there was a variety of news presentations and you could pick from them.
Today large multi-billion dollar corporations control most of the news we see, and it seems their focus is largely centered around profit driven ratings instead of a fair and balanced presentation of the news. This is why they seem to hype, sensationalize and distort Americans’ perceived reality in order to keep them glued to the tube. And the hyping and sensationalizing is not getting better – it’s getting worse.
No longer can you turn on the TV to be informed, but rather to be scared, angered and far too often – to become disinformed.
Last weekend, on Saturday, I ventured out to enjoy the beautiful weather. I was not alone, as for the first time in a month and a half there were a number of people moving about the neighborhood.
I headed down to the farmers market to see what that looked like under the new normal. The food looked fresh, and there was plenty of it - although this was in mid morning.
The experience wasn't much different than what you'd expect. People wore face masks and there were lines created by social distancing. I was glad to see that farmers markets are essential businesses, as it augments a strained food supply chain, and provides folks with an opportunity to get out of the house in about as safe an environment as you can get. Here's a link to the dates, times, locations and selection of the 2020 Queens farmers markets, Staten Island Farmers Markets, Brooklyn Farmers Markets, Manhattan Farmers Markets and Bronx Farmers Markets.
I can't say people were smiling, not just because their faces were covered by masks, but there's been a gradual mood deterioration as we pass the second rent due date of the CoVid pandemic. Many people aren't standing in the farmers market social distancing line, but rather standing in food pantry lines. And for many, their economic fates are up for grabs, as we collectively try to navigate our way back to work. Many believe that economic activity is likely to be dampened by the CoVid pandemic for some time to come.
On the bright side, the Governor and the Mayor announced plans to begin daily sanitization of the MTA subway system beginning Wednesday, May 6th. The plan is to close the terminal stations of the subway lines from 1 am to 5 am, daily - providing shuttle buses to and from the last stop for passengers. And then, in those four wee hours of the morning, the NYPD and NYC social services will swoop into clear out the homeless population that has started making the subway their new home. It seems a good and humane plan.
Sanitizing the subway lines should go a long way toward preparing us to get back to the new normal by helping to dampen - if not eradicate - the transmission of the CoVid virus. This collaborative effort by both the Mayor and the Governor will help all of us to get back to work and play. So things are moving in the right direction, albeit not at a viral pace.
Have a nice weekend. The weather is going to be in the 70's during the day and 50's at night. And no rain, but some clouds.
Through Wind, Snow, Rain, Sleet & CoVid - Education Goes On
Or … the Wild and Whacky World of Online Learning in the Age of CoVid
As we anxiously await the return to the new normal, being bombarded by repetitious daily TV newscasts, the Donald’s Daily Disinformation Show, and what seems Rupert Murdoch’s unending propaganda in the Wall Street Journal and on Fox News, there are a few bright spots, but you have to look for them.
I thought the migration from school classrooms might be one of them, so I set out to find out what that experience felt like to both educators and students at the elementary, high school and college levels. As I interviewed only two students and two teachers, this is an anecdotal report about the migration from classroom to computer.
The mass migration began the week beginning March 9th, 2020. College students around the nation, including the CUNY and SUNY systems, were told their classes were being discontinued and they were instructed to pack their things and return home. By the start of the next week, beginning March 16th, NYC public elementary and high schools were also closed. Private schools more or less closed their doors in tandem with the public schools.
During that week of disbandment, the world of education began a mad scramble to figure out how to continue the education process – without classrooms, schools and interpersonal contact. This was not a mean feat.
Nonetheless, educators scrambled, ramped up to speed using interactive platforms like Zoom and Google Hang Out, which includes Google Meet & Chat, and Google Docs. The educators also started figuring out how replace lectures and moderated classroom discussions by using videos and presentations / documents.
Based on the four interviews I conducted, it seems there wasn’t any one formula used, but rather a whole slew of different approaches. Teachers used more different approaches to online learning – depending not just on the subject matter - but also on the audience aka the class.
College Professor’s Experience Migrating Online
Thomas Bolin is a religious studies professor at a small liberal arts college. He teaches three classes – one is about American Evangelicalism, which examines the changing face of religion in America. He teaches two classes of Ancient Wisdom, which examines Biblical, Roman and Egyptian philosophies. This course ends with each student creating their own personal philosophy.
Professor Bolin said he started by taking a technology inventory of his students including computer and internet access. The real technological issue wasn’t access to devices as nearly everyone has a smart phone and computer but rather access to internet with enough bandwidth at the times needed.
After he’d completed the technology inventory, he set out devising a teaching game plan. To that end he began developing videos, which he posted so that the students could access asynchronously – meaning on their timeframe. His reasoning was that as some of his students lived in different time zones, and some had issues accessing high speed internet at home because of shared bandwidth and devices, this would enable all to keep pace with their classroom peers.
He said he receives a slew of student emails after each video post, which he answers personally. He said he also checks in with each of his students at least once per week.
Professor Bolin also said that he began creating reading guides for many of the assigned readings to initiate interaction, circular discussions and he paired student to interact.
I asked him if he was working more or less these days. He said more … that the five day week had become a continuous stream of seven day weeks … that work filling his days has become like gas filling a room.
He noted that it’s far more difficult to tell how plugged in each student is to the subject matter. He said that it was likely for that reason that Princeton went to Pass / Fail when they initiated the migration from in class to online. He opined that in spite of the additional work he’s had to do, the students were likely getting a reduced educational experience. And hence, he reasoned, the pass / fail is a means of acknowledging the reduced expectations.
I’m paraphrasing but he said something like, “Education is learning about and through community, interpersonal interactions, which ultimately lead to growth. That’s not something that can be well replicated online.”
NY Pause Continues Through May 15th Pending an Update
First a couple of announcements were made the past couple of weeks which hint at when we will begin returning to the new normal. With hospitalizations declining / stabilizing and intubations and new positives declining, Governor Cuomo extended NY Pause to May 15th, which keeps open essential businesses, but closes the non-essential businesses until such time as there’s enough slack in the healthcare system / hospitals to accommodate any sort of resurgence in Corona Virus patients that may occur as a result of the re-opening.
Governor Cuomo told the Donald NYC and NYS wouldn't need the USNS Comfort any longer, as the emergency crisis has subsided. As noted in an earlier report, the build out at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal was put on hold, pending a more definitive direction in the CoVid hospitalization numbers. The photo above shows a retailer temperature screening customers before they enter the store [photo credit Dantanyan].
Large Public NYC Events Cancelled thru May
Biggest Events in June Aren’t Likely to Occur & NYC Public Pools will Likely Remain Closed Through the Summer
As mentioned previously, Mayor de Blasio seemed to think that the NYC public school system will remain closed through the end of this school year. The Mayor also said that large public gatherings won’t resume until at least June 1st, and even after, that the three largest public events in NYC in June [the Israel Parade, the Puerto Rican Parade and the Gay Pride Parade in both Manhattan and Queens] aren’t likely to take place this year - but no final decision has yet been made. Other large public events including street fairs and other parades will not take place through May and there will be an update before then about what happens beginning in June.
The Mayor also said that NYC public pools will likely not open this summer because of the challenges of keeping people socially distanced / safe from the spread of the Corona Virus. Also, the Plastic Bag ban enforcement was pushed back to May 15th some time ago. As of this report, that enforcement date still stands, but like so much related to the CoVid 19 crisis, the date could be extended further. And the special election for Queens Borough President was cancelled and will be held in tandem with the NYS primary and general election. Lastly, the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks are still planned, but like everything this Spring, is still subject to change.
As noted in my last report, we’ve moved from emergency management to crisis management. That is simultaneously the good news and the bad news. I expect the crisis in one form or another will be with us for some time to come. But forecasting what the future looks like is at best a precarious endeavor.
Everyone is now trying to figure out a way back to the new normal, which means living with a incurable virus in our midst, until such time as therapies, cures or vaccines are found and proven to be successful.
So what does the path forward look like?
The image at right was created by Brooklyn artist Craig Ward of bacteria he collected on the subway and made into artistic renditions.
Governor Cuomo Begins Sketching a Back to Work Plan
For starters Governor Cuomo extended NY Pause through May 15th. NY Pause is the directive to close social gathering places and venues, schools and non-essential businesses. Within the past week Mayor de Blasio said the NYC Public School system would not reopen this school year.
Governor Cuomo laid out a sketch of a conceptual plan, which likely came from one of the consultant groups, as it looked a lot like the growth share matrix devised by Boston Consulting Group. The growth share matrix was designed for companies to use to evaluate the businesses they are in, to determine whether to continue investing in them or to begin cashing out of them. The divisions in high growth businesses that are profitable are the ones to keep backing, while the companies in the low growth low profitability businesses are the ones to sell, close or grind out every last dollar.
Governor Cuomo’s matrix axes [plural for axis] has high and low infection rates along the y axis and more essential / less essential along the x axis. The more essential and less potential infection the quicker you’re back to work. The less essential and the higher the potential infection, the longer before you’re back to work.
Based on what I observed, albeit with very limited movement and anecdotally, New Yorkers appeared to stay at home, self isolating over the holiday weekend.
This sort of compliance with government guidance is what has enabled us to stem the spread of the - at times lethal - Corona Virus. And the levelling happened none too soon, as parts of the NYC hospital system were operating at full capacity - and in some cases over capacity.
Most of the metrics for the virus have been levelling off or even going down, while the only positive metric - daily discharges - continues to rise.
We appear to be transitioning from emergency management, to crisis management, and government officials are now even beginnning to look ahead at transitioning us back to what will be the new normal.
NYS & NYC New CoVid 19 Cases Level - Even Show Signs of Falling
New CoVid 19 cases in NYS were down fairly sharply yesterday, based on the numbers presented by Governor Cuomo. But the drop may be due to weekend reporting discrepancies. In any case the number of new cases appears to have levelled off in both New York state and in New York City.
The key statistics that the Governor and the Mayor have been closely monitoring include new and net hospitalizations, new and net admissions to the Intensive Care Unit, and new and net intubations aka use of respirators. As you can see from the graphs, all have been falling. This data was collected from the Governor's daily press briefing, as well as from other media outlets such as the New York Times, on the days when the Governor didn't present all of the key metrics in his press briefing.
I've been covering the CoVid Pandemic since it began in NYC, starting in the first half of March. At first my attention was focused on the closures by the Governor and Mayor as they began shuttering social events, social interactions and ultimately the economy.
It wasn't long before I shifted my attention to the growing numbers of people testing positive for the Corona Virus in NYC and NYS. This was followed by photographing the efforts by the NYC Mayor and the NYS Governor to build out additional healthcare capacity, to accommodate the projected growth of sick people, resulting from the spreading pandemic. They had a very limited time frame to complete this build out, before the influx of new Corona Virus patients overwhelmed the existing NYC and NYS healthcare capacity.
Most recently I've turned my attention to the economic hardships currently being borne by New Yorkers, particularly in small businesses and the folks working in essential services.
I've witnessed many people thanking the folks working in essential services - including healthcare, public transit, grocery and pharmacy outlets, and first responders - and I want to add my own thanks for all of the work they do, to keep the rest of us moving.
The photo above was taken about a week ago. A little bit of natural beauty helps keep things in perspective.
Reporter Travelogue - Startling Beginning With Closures
This is a travelogue about riding the MTA rails, along with essential workers, to do my part by providing independent first hand reports and context regarding what's happening here in NYC vis a vis the Corona Virus pandemic. Most of what I report is either not reported by the sensationalist, ratings-driven TV network news, or it's diminished in their reported accounts because it's contextual - not shocking.
The pandemic first hit my radar while I was covering a theater event at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. At that time I first heard that the Governor had started instituting surprising - and what at the time seemed draconian - measures designed to stymie the growing tide of CoVid 19 infections. In short order these actions were followed by the Mayor and it included shutting down restaurants and non-essential services.
The photo at right shows shuttered businesses along Court Avenue in Brooklyn during the NYC CoVid lockdown.
At the moment these governmental measures appear to be working, but I suspect maintaining discipline during the Passover and Easter holidays will be challenging. Afterall we have now spent over a month in communal isolation. But if people don't comply with the guidance provided by government officials, the pandemic will quickly resurge, and lengthen the time before we can all get back to the new normal. The Governor cited several examples from around the world including Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Influenza pandemic of 1918 in the U.S..
Please note I tried to contact the Governor's Office for comment on this and have not yet heard back from them. I know they're busy, and we're not from the MainStream Media.
Nearly three weeks ago, Governor Cuomo issued an order for social distancing, by initially limiting social gatherings to fifty people or less. Mayor de Blasio supported the move that same day. As such most of the cultural venues in New York City suspended normal operations and events pending further notification or some future date. That was nearly three weeks ago.
That action was subsequently followed by further actions, limiting social gatherings to ten people and eventually just immediate households. On March 15, 2020 Mayor de Blasio issued an order asking bars and restaurants to close their doors except for deliveries / take out. That was more than two weeks ago.
A week ago while I was out photographing the empty, eerie NYC landscape, I noticed somewhat casually that somewhere between 10% - 25% of retail outlets were still open in Manhattan / Queens. Just a few days ago, while making another sweep through a couple of neighborhoods, the percent of those open had dropped to ghost town levels of 10% and less.
The bad news is that there's been a near stop to 'non-essential' life here and that there's an economic reckoning most folks are facing tomorrow on April 1st as bills come due.
The good news is that I've been tracking the numbers provided by Governor Cuomo and the curve does appear to already be flattening. The Governor has hinted at this by noting that the hospitalization rate had gone from doubling every 2 - 3 days at the outset a few weeks ago, to doubling every six days as of about a day ago.
But the good news goes beyond that. A couple of days ago, the Governor changed what numbers he was releasing to the public.
Democrats Choice: A Stuttering Biden or An Intransigent Bernie?
Most Folks Don't Know that Biden has a Stuttering Handicap which is Why he doesn't do so Well in Debates & his 'Circumlocution' Remedy is Likely the Primary Cause of his Verbal Gaffes
Most Sanders Supporters Probably Haven't Taken a Look at Sanders' Record of Accomplishment which During his 29 Years in Congress is Comprised of his Leadership on Only Three Passed Senate Bills - Two of Which were Naming Post Offices
This past week, as we all watched the Democratic race for the presidency unfold, we witnessed a bit of history. Former Vice President Joe Biden's incredible comeback from what seemed like a campaign on life support, ended with him sweeping the south and decisively winning victories in most of the states up for grabs on Super Tuesday.
Biden's Coalition - The Moderates, The Working Class & The Realists
But like all victories, Biden didn't do it alone. Biden first received a boost via the endorsement of Congressman James Clyburn only days before the South Carolina primary. On Monday, Amy Klobuchar ended her campaign and endorsed Biden, followed shortly that same day by Pete Buttigieg, who had ended his campaign a day earlier. And Beto O'Rourke reappeared, to throw his support behind Biden in Texas.
As a result, Biden became the front runner, eclipsing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders following Biden's electoral sweep on Super Tuesday.
One might say that this demonstrates the biggest difference between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Joe has been able to bring many of his former challengers into his tent, while Bernie Sanders has not.
Don't get me wrong. I like Bernie Sanders. I think he has great integrity, he is a strong advocate for the working class, and he has clearly demonstrated that he has an admirable talent for running an organization during his two presidential bids.
But the difference between Sanders and Biden is that Sanders appears to be a purest ... an ideologue ... someone who does not compromise. And people who don't compromise can make great thought leaders, but they rarely - if ever - make great leaders.
Great Leaders Know How To Compromise & That's How They Get Things Done
Leaders need to make compromises in order to get things done. They generally don't get everything they want because vested interests will do everything in their power to thwart them when they try. So what real leaders do, is stake out the next evolution, by moving the ball a bit forward, hoping that someone else will pick it up at a later date and move it forward again.
CLICK here to read the rest of our report on Joe Biden is a Stutterer & Bernie Sanders Legislative Record. The report includes: 1) a synopsis of an Atlantic report whereby a journalist who has a stutter followed Biden on the campaign trail and shared his insights with us, 2) a look at Sanders legislative record by another reporter writing in the Washington Post, and 3) a Case Study in leadership regarding moving the nation forward through compromise.
I've been watching events unfold on the national stage rather closely these past four years. I imagine most everybody in this country has.
It seems what we are witnessing is a gradual and insidious failure of our democratic institutions - because "We The People" haven't been paying an appropriate level of attention, nor fully participating in the functioning of our democracy, for far, far too long.
Thomas Jefferson said that,
"... if a nation expects to be ignorant & free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was & never will be."
We have been ignoring the signs of the American Oligarchy usurpation of government power for decades, lead in part by Australian born and bred billionaire propagandist Rupert Murdoch. And their encroachment upon our rights, and their abuse of public power continue to accelerate, so much so, that it is no longer done surreptitiously.
Monarchs are Dictators: King George III was America's Last Authoritarian in 1783
If Americans don't start making the right choices - then due process, checks and balances and the rule of law are going to slip away from us. The result will be that a few people will make most of the important decisions for the rest of us, just like when King George III ruled the colonies, and just as authoritarians like 'President' Xi JinPing of China and 'President' Vladimir Putin of Russia rule their nations today.
Trump appears to embody the usurpation, but Rupert Murdoch seems to be the man who started us on the not-so-long journey back to ignorance. Since the Australian born and bred billionaire arrived on our shores, his accumulation of an overwhelming share of our mass media, has led to the election of numerous representatives who don't keep their pledge to represent their constituencies, uphold the Constitution, and no longer even pretend to adhere to the rule of law. This has been on clear display since Donald Trump became president.
We should have seen this coming. Billionaire propagandist Rupert Murdoch has nearly single-handedly ruled Australia and Britain through surrogates for decades through a mix of 'dirty digging' - a name Murdoch earned for himself in Britain, possibly using that dirt to extort favors from politicians, and using his overwhelming share of mass media to both attack those who oppose him, and support those who agree to bend to his will.
Presidents Reagan, Clinton and George W. Bush collectively relinquished our ability to have access to numerous independent information sources, by allowing transformational media mergers, which have reduced our media diversity from about 50 unique entities in the 1980's to about five today. And contrary to what Murdoch's Fox Fake News repeatedly promotes, it's not the voters who are now deciding - but rather those like Murdoch who provide the voters with the information they use to make their electoral decisions. The mass media owners are the real deciders.
So that's how we got where we are today. As we're facing the possibility of a non-choice election in 2020 - between two autocratic NYC billionaires who seem to rule in favor of the top 1% - the choice between Donald J. Trump and Michael Bloomberg.
If we let the billionaire class take and keep the top spot, it will become increasingly difficult to win back our democracy and hear the diverse voices of the people.
The rest of this Presidents Day report includes a look into the Trump Administration:
1) Corrupton: Financial Incest in the Oval Office,
2) Courtiers: Rudy & the Royal Republican Boot Lickers,
3) Be Best Bullies: Breaking the Law with Impunity,
4) Rigged Republicans: Using Public Money & Power to Further Family & Friend's Interests,
5) Criminal King: Undermining Rule of Law,
6) Back to Royal Incompetence: Hiring Royal Loyals versus People of Merit and
7) The Great American Sell Out: Commander-in-Chief Big Mouth seems to compromise American Security & Foreign Policy.
A week ago, on Tuesday, January 21st I attended the Community Board One meeting at the Astoria World Manor where the board was asked to approve the closing of the Rikers Island Detention Facility effective sometime before the end of the year 2026.
The photo at right was taken from an airplane while landing at LaGuardia in a prior year. Rikers Island Correctional Facility is a stone's throw away from LGA.
Queens Community Board One in Astoria Votes on Rikers Closure
The presentation consisted of two slides. One highlighted the social / moral blight that Rikers Island had become. The second slide simply proposed the request in very limited terms - the closing of Rikers Island and the conversion of it to a ‘public place’. The presentation to the Committee was done by a team lead by Dana Kaplan, Deputy Director of the NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice.
So please note that the Community Board had no role in the placement of neighborhood jails, nor did they sign off on anything that may become of Rikers Island going forward. They only approved the closing of the Correctional Facility and the allowance of use for it as a "public place".
I spoke with CB1 District Manager Florence Kolouris after the meeting about what exactly that meant. She told me that there isn’t any definition, per se, given for public place – but a couple of examples of prior public places include Lincoln Center, Fort Totten and Queens Borough Hall.
The Community Board approved the measure with a recommendation that CB1 be kept in the loop throughout the closing process, including any demolition. Plenty of questions followed regarding what would become of the 400 acre island. Nothing concrete was proposed at this time, but the audience was assured that any changes would have to come through the Community Board via the ULURP process [Uniform Land Use Review Procedure].
The Bronx & Queens - Rikers Island Community Jurisdiction & Prison Population
It’s worth noting that technically Rikers Island is a part of the Bronx – not Queens – even though the only road traveling onto the island originates in the Astoria / East Elmhurst neighborhoods of Queens. In addition to Queens Community Board One, Bronx Community Board Two, representing the Hunts Point neighborhood, also has influence over the island. Since the Dinkins Administration in the 1990's, there's been a floating barge facility that's docked in Hunts Point, that is considered a part of the Rikers Island Correctional Facility.
Currently there are an estimated 7,000 plus inmates on Rikers Island. At its height, in 1991, Rikers Island held an estimated overcapacity inmate population of nearly 22,000. By the time the facility is to be closed in 2026, the inmate population is expected to have declined to between 3,000 and 4,000.
The photo at right shows the Rikers Island Correctional Facility which will be closed by the end of 2026.
Community holiday events have been on the rise in Brooklyn since the start of the 21st century. While some date back many years, even prior to the start of the 21st century, many are relatively new.
Enjoying a community get together around the holidays is a good way to share in other people's cultures and strengthen the human bonds that transcend cultural variation. Or conversely, an opportunity to share your cultural upbringing with others.
Each of the Brooklyn holiday events is a bit different, as some are organized by community groups, local government officials and others by business organizations. Oftentimes one can find artisanal products that are made in NYC or NYS for sale, but we've dedicated a special section to announcing Brooklyn Holiday Markets & Shopping - Brooklyn NYC.
Brooklyn Holiday Events & Things To Do Getting Underway
The Brooklyn holiday events get underway shortly after Halloween, with some coming opening up about the time of Thanksgiving. The Brooklyn holiday events are located in or near the following Brooklyn neighborhoods - Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bushwick, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Prospect Park, Park Slope, Sunset Park, Bayridge, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Dyker Heights. Many either include the serving of some beverage like hot chocolate and generally snacks like cookies - or are near food vendors and restaurants.
Holiday outdoor markets have been on the rise in Brooklyn since the dawn of the 21st century. While some date back many years, some are relatively new.
Shopping at holiday markets alone, with friends, or with the kids gives folks a chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor and satisfy some of their yearnings and some of the yearnings of those we love.
Each of the Brooklyn holiday markets is a bit different, as some are organized by community groups and others by business organizations. Oftentimes one can find artisanal products that are made in NYC or NYS.
Brooklyn Holiday Markets Getting Underway
The Brooklyn holiday markets get underway shortly after Halloween, with some coming opening up about the time of Thanksgiving. The Brooklyn holiday markets are located in or near the following Brooklyn neighborhoods - Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bushwick, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Prospect Park, Park Slope, Sunset Park, Bayridge, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Dyker Heights. Many either include the serving of some beverage like hot chocolate and generally snacks like cookies - or are near food vendors and restaurants.
The holidays are a special time of the year. In ancient times there were harvest celebrations to give thanks and enjoy the bounty after a long growing and harvesting season aka a year of work.
THESE HOLIDAY EVENT & HOLIDAY MARKETS ARE ORGANIZED
1. BY NEIGHBORHOODS OF STATEN ISLAND
2. And BY DATE
Watch carefully as some locales have multiple dates, and all dates for a given locale are shown at the time the venue is first listed.
And there were also winter solstice celebrations to commemorate the end of the darkening of the skies. Some cultures celebrate with a festival of lights, and in Christian cultures the holidays are marked with holiday lightings including tree lightings and candle lightings - as well as the celebration of giving through the most well known and most generous man in the world - Santa Claus.
Meanwhile, back on Staten Island we celebrate in a number of ways, which carry on some of these ancient traditions. The following provides the dates / times / locales and some details regarding many of the various Staten Island holiday celebrations and Staten Island holiday markets and shopping for folks to enjoy between now and the end of the year.
A couple of years ago, I happened upon a childhood book of fables and fairytales that I had saved since I was a first grader. I was young enough to still like fairytales and old enough to be learning and loving to read.
The book, A Gateway to Storyland, by Platt & Munk Co, was given to me around the holidays, and the book still gives me a warm, loved feeling when I periodically open it to browse through the fairytales and fables containing little nuggets of age old wisdom about how to conduct onesself [see photo at right / the book is still in print]. I read it numerous times immediately upon receiving it, as the illustrations fed my imagination, and lessons embedded in the words resonated with timeless sagacity.
Unselfish Parental Love Manifested by Empowering Progeny
Love comes in many forms, but the purest form is unselfish love. The love of truly giving something with no thought of anything in return. That love is oftentimes given intergenerationally - from grandparents to parents to children.
Perhaps the greatest gifts are those that cost us nothing but our time. Like the gift of teaching someone something that they will be able to put to good use throughout their lives. Parents do this all the time, when they help their children develop skills, and impart some knowledge and learning ... just as my parents did many years ago, by giving me a well illustrated fairytale book to encourage my interest in reading, while sharing the time tested insights of the ages, handed down through storytelling.
I. A Brief Thanksgiving History
The Pilgrims Shared Communal Resources to Actualize a Dream
At Thanksgiving time we commemorate one of America's first settlements, founded by the risk-taking, resource-pooling, hardworking, spiritual community of Pilgrims.
The Pilgrims were early English settlers who arrived on American shores in the early 17th century [1600's]. They came here because they wanted a measure of freedom and self-determination that they were forbidden in Europe or what was called the 'old country'. The Pilgrims wanted to practice their faith, unencumbered, in a way that differed from the established Church of England. They pooled their money to obtain a ship, the Mayflower, to cross the Atlantic in mid September of 1620, landing on America's shores at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts on November 9, 1620. Think of it. It took about a month and a half to travel a distance we can now traverse in about five hours.
The Pilgrims Receive Help from the Native People of a Strange Land
Per Wikipedia, the Piligrims survived a hard winter in 1621 with the help of the Wampanoag, an American Indian tribe. The Pilgrims were the immigrants, and the first Americans, the Indian natives, welcomed them. The Wampanaog taught the Pilgrims how to catch eels, and how to grow and harvest corn. Thus the Pilgrims ended 1621 with a good harvest which they celebrated and shared with their new friends, expressing their gratitude to a higher power, aka God, for the success of their endeavors.
Thus it was that the first Thanksgiving celebration happened in America ... or did it?
The polling booths will be open from 6 am to 9 pm Tuesday, November 5, 2019.
To find your poll location click on the graphic above.
Once on the website, input your address, and then click the icon to get the results of the search.
PLEASE BE ADVISED that as of Sunday evening, the first poll site shown was the one used for EARLY VOTING, which at this point has ended, so scroll down to be sure you are going to the correct Poll site on Election Day.
The New York Road Runners / NYRR is hosting its 49th NYC Marathon on Sunday. The NYRR was founded in 1958 and has been organizing the NYC Marathon since 1970. The proceeds from the race go toward the programs of the runner non-profit. They report that the NYRR serves 670,000 people, of which 250,000 are youth, annually.
There are plenty of festivities this week surrounding the affair. Some are held at the NYRR Run Center [NYRR headquarters] at 320 West 57th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues in Manhattan, while others are held at the NYC Marathon Pavilion in Central Park at 67th Street and Central Park West, near the Tavern on the Green in Manhattan.
The other pre-race activities [see location addresses above] include a discussion on Tuesday about the NYC Marathon Book Club from 6 - 8 pm at the NYC Marathon Pavilion. On Wednesday there's a forum of Celebrity Charity Runners who talk about why they are running at the NYC Marathon Pavilion from 7 - 8 pm. On Thursday evening between 6 and 7 pm the NYRR presents the awards for the NYRR Hall of Fame inductees at the NYC Marathon Pavilion. On Friday at the NYRR Run Center there's an NYRR Running History Tour which runs from 10 - 11.30 am.
The pre-race festivities culminate the Saturday evening before the race, when there's an early dinner [3.30 - 8.30 pm] for the runners at the NYC Marathon Pavilion that is prepared by the chefs from Tavern on the Green. They call it the Marathon Eve Dinner. It has a sort of holiday ring to it.
9th Annual Festa & Motori D'Italia Keeps the Engine Running on All Cylinders
September 23, 2019 / Grymes Hill Neighborhood Staten Island / Things to do on Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.
I attended the Festa & Motori D'Italia at the Italian Cultural Foundation at Casa Belvedere on Staten Island. The following video captures most of what I experienced - save for the delicious aromas floating in the air.
* MANHATTAN
Greta Thunberg at Climate Strike in Battery Park NYC 2019
Tens of Thousands Showed for the Climate Strike - NBC Estimated 60,000
September 20, 2019 / Downtown NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.
I attended the Climate Strike in Battery Park Friday late afternoon. It was a beautiful day and thousands had shown up to rally support for changing how we live in order to avert the disaster of irreparably destroying the ecosystem which supports life on the planet. Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg was there and spoke at the rally. The video below provides views of the crowd, some of their signs, a poetry performance, a musical performance and some of Greta's remarks. Stay tuned next week as the United Nations meets and Greta visits the U.N. to implore them to take action.
Last night I attended one of the New York Police Department Neighborhood Policing programs. It was held at the Information and Technology High School on 44th Road in LIC beginning at 7 pm. The NYPD Neighborhood Policing program began in 2015 under the leadership of NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton and was rolled out under the leadership of NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill who replaced Bratton in 2016. The program became citywide in 2019.
In the photo at right are the two NYPD Police Officers in charge of the 108th Precinct Neighborhood Policing program - Jorge Ozuna and Andrew Ali.
The NYPD Neighborhood Policing program is designed to build trust and a robust two-way communication mechanism between the New York Police Department and the neighborhoods they serve. To that end the NYPD works to enable the same officers patrol the same neighborhoods at the same times / shifts in order to build a consistent rapport between the officers and the neighborhoods they serve. By building this two-way conversation about community safety and other policing issues, the NYPD becomes more aware of the concerns of neighborhood businesses and residents. Conversely, the folks living in a neighborhood develop a rapport and trust in the NYPD staff who patrol their communities, which enables the residents to collaborate with the police in ensuring community safety.
It makes perfect sense, which causes one to wonder why we're only getting to this place now.
I just received an email notifying me of simultaneous rallies which will be held by IDC [Independent Democratic Caucus] member CHALLENGERS within the NYC Metro area. The members of the IDC, who these challengers are rallying against, have been caucusing with the Republicans since 2010 / 2011. By caucusing with the Republicans, the IDC Democrats have provided Republicans with a majority in the NYS Senate. Thus the IDC members appear to be Republicans running as Democrats on the Democratic ticket.
The IDC CHALLENGERrallies are intended to inform the electorate as to how their IDC electeds have been (mis?) representing them - as well as how the challengers would like to represent them - should they be given the chance.
"In an unprecedented show of strength and unity following the release of their joint statement about their agenda, the candidates will set forth their visions for their districts and will enlist those present at the rallies in registering voters, canvassing, and the like in preparation for the Thursday, September 13, 2018 primary election."
"The rallies will explain the need to replace the former IDC members with true blue Democrats whom we can trust not to turn their backs on the people who elected them. The IDC may have rejoined the Democrats for now, but they've been willing to ally themselves with the GOP since 2011 - and they've claimed to return to the Democratic fold before. The damage is done and we will not forget. New York deserves REAL Democrats who stand for progressive values, not Trump Democrats."
SUNDAY Rally Details:
Blue Wave Rally for Jessica Ramos, April 29, 2 PM, 31-04 Ditmar Blvd., Intersection at 31st Street Astoria, Queens.
Blue Wave Rally for Alessandra Biaggi, April 29, 2-3 PM, Memorial Grove in Van Cortland Park, Bronx. Memorial Grove is located in Van Cortlandt Park, near West 246 Street between Broadway and the Van Cortlandt Mansion - see map above.
Blue Wave Rally for Robert Jackson, April 29, 1:30-2:30 PM, at Bennett Park, W 183rd St & Fort Washington Avenue, Manhattan.
Blue Wave Rally for Rachel May, April 29, 2-3 PM, State Office Building, 301 East Washington Street, Syracuse.
Blue Wave Rally for Zellnor Myrie, April 29, 2-3 PM, at the Prospect Park subway stop, on Lincoln Avenue between Flatbush and Ocean Avenues, Brooklyn.
Blue Wave Rally for Jasmine Robinson, April 29, 2-3 PM, at Tappen Park, Staten Island (near the Stapleton SIR stop).
Blue Wave Rally to Make NY True Blue in SD38, April 29, 2-3, at 20 South Main Street, New City, NY
Blue Wave Rally to Make NY True Blue in SD21, April 29, 2-3 PM, Bell Boulevard at 73rd Avenue, Oakland Gardens, Queens
Press contacts:
Rise and Resist: Claire Ullman, 917-679-7120
True Blue NY: Lisa DellAquila, co-leader, 917-991-0605
Jackson campaign: Harris Doran, 917-797-6180
Myrie campaign: Andre Richardson (campaign manager), 201-892-5829, andrerichardson@gmail.com
Robinson campaign: Jane Nixon Willis, 914-584-2833; improvised3@gmail.com
69th Annual Art Show Organized by the Staten Island Museum
October 1, 2019 / Randall Manor Neighborhood Staten Island / Things to do on Staten Island / Staten Buzz NYC.
I attended the 69th Annual Snug Harbor Fence Show on Staten Island on Saturday. The show included about 150 exhibiting artists, primarily from Staten Island, but also neighboring NYC boroughs and New Jersey. There were food and beverage vendors, an accomplished jazz group - the Musical Chairs Chamber Ensemble - as well as plenty of interesting artworks that ranged from ceramics, to clothing and jewelry, to all sorts of art on canvass and other materials. The crowd the show attracted was also an eclectic group of art lovers, art exhibitors and curious Staten Islanders [it's free admission]. See video to take in a couple of minutes of the ambiance of the show.
* SPORTS
Only in Queens: The U.S. Open & the USTA
Intergenerational Tennis Wins: Nadal Defeats Medvedev & Andreescu Defeats Williams
In the week leading up to the U.S. Open the USTA opens its doors to the Flushing, Queens and NYC community. They host a number of tennis related events, and provide opportunities for those who visit to watch the pros practice on the courts. The week culminated in Arthur Ashe Kid Day at the end of the week and families from the NYC metro area, most notably Queens come in droves to take in the rich atmosphere of the newly renovated USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
I had the opportunity to visit this year, which was enhanced by being able to photograph and video a shirtless Rafael Nadal - who won the men’s title this year, complete with ripped abs - while practicing. See video later in the story.
CLICK - renovated USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Queens for story about the $60 millon in renovations completed in 2018 and about the 2019 U.S. Open. The report includes video of Rafael Nadal practicing in the week prior to the U.S. Open when the public is welcome to visit the USTA and watch practices for free.
NYC BOROS HISTORY
* GOVERNMENT
QB1196 _ Report about Katz - Bx, M, Q sites.
Why do Real Estate Developers Favor Katz for Queens District Attorney?
Tenants Pay Heed: Katz Became a Real Estate Development Lobbyist for Greenberg Traurig After Chairing the Land Use Committee in the NYC Council
This report covers campaign tricks, the phony Queens Library 'corruption scandal', the alleged Curtis Sliwa affair and something about a Katz Fundraiser at restaurant with Alleged Mob ties ...
We’re a week away from Election Day for the Queens District Attorney Office. Melinda Katz, whose candidacy was once believed to be a shoo-in - based on her Borough-wide name recognition and the unmitigated support of the Queens Democratic machine.
Is Melinda Katz Candidacy for District Attorney Faltering?
It now appears that her candidacy may be in jeopardy as the Queens Democratic machine called upon Governor Cuomo to help raise funds to either stop or slow Katz’s accelerating slide in the polls. It’s worth mentioning that the Cuomo’s June 10th fundraiser was not held in Queens – where it should have been – but rather in Manhattan [where the real estate developers are?].
IT'S NOT FUNDING - The Real Estate Cash has been Pouring In
Is Melinda Katz’s Candidacy Faltering Because she doesn’t have the Qualifications or Because she has shown little interest in Criminal Justice until she Began Running for the Queens DA Office?
But it’s not funding that Katz needs help with. It’s her lack of criminal justice education, her complete lack of experience in the criminal justice system, and her lack of interest in criminal justice issues over her entire career until about six months ago.
As a point of contrast it’s worth noting that Queens District Attorney candidate and NYC Councilmember Rory Lancman also lacks a criminal justice degree and experience – but at least he served on committees that focused on the topic and dealt with the issues – which Melinda Katz has not. The focus of Katz’s early political career was on women’s and health issues, and the rest of her public career largely centered on Land Use / real estate development, as she was Chair of the Standing Committee on Land Use during her time as a NYC Councilmember.
Both she and Lancman are in term limited positions which expire at the end of 2021, which in political terms, is just around the corner. The Queens District Attorney Office is not term limited and the last Queens DA, Richard Brown, served in that position nearly three decades [28 years]. Richard Brown recently died, at age 86, at home on May 3, 2019.
Real Estate Development Lawsuits in Queens
In recent years there have been a myriad of lawsuits involving real estate developers in Queens. These center around harassment, contested evictions and around safe work practices for contractors and employees. Unfortunately I don’t have time to enumerate them, but you can do a search on this yourself using the search string ‘Queens real estate developers lawsuits’.
Queens Voters have a Couple of Other Very Qualified Candidates – One Conservative & One Liberal
The two leading candidates with criminal justice degrees and experience are former Judge Gregory Lasak and Public Defender Tiffany Caban. Former Judge Gregory Lasak has a career spanning more than three decades working in the criminal justice system, and Tiffany Caban has spent seven years working in the criminal justice system as a Legal Aid Society attorney and Public Defender. The choice here is pretty clear as Judge Lasak is a go-slow advocate of reform, while Tiffany Caban is a passionate advocate of reform. But at least both of these candidates have qualifications that fit the job.
There’s an old saying in business that goes something like this, “You can’t manage a process you don’t understand. And you can’t understand a process unless you’ve done it.”
Melinda Katz runs as both the Establishment & Reform Candidate
FLIP FLOPS: Is Katz Really the Candidate of Developers & Landlords?
As for Katz’s message – it’s unclear for what she really stands. At times she claims she’s a reformer, but we’ve seen little in the way of reform initiated by Katz over the past decade - and likely far longer - possibly ending in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s when she became a City Councilmember on the Land Use committee.
Not that long ago she reportedly backed capital punishment. And up until recently she backed cash bail, reportedly flip flopping on the issue particulars. And while she has said she supports the closing of Rikers Island and replacing it with borough centric jails [so the inmates can maintain their connections to family and community while awaiting trial], she appears to have taken the position of “not in my backyard” as the proposed replacement in Queens would be near Borough Hall where there’s already a jail. To help put this in perspective it’s worth noting that Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. submitted a request that that is where the Bronx replacement facility for Rikers be placed.
Melinda Katz becomes a Real Estate Lobbyist at Greenberg Traurig in 2010
In 2010 Katz took a lobbyist at Greenberg Traurig, working on real estate development deals, which seemed to strengthen her ties to the real estate development community in general, and Boston Properties controlled by billionaire real estate developer and [at the time] the NY Daily News Publisher Mortimer Zuckerman in particular. Essentially she helped clients navigate their way through city and state government bodies [some of which she had previously worked on as a representative of the public] in order to get the real estate development deals deals done.
CLICK for the rest of our report on Melinda Katz - Queens DA candidates - the report covers 'dirty tricks', the phony Queens Library 'corruption scandal', the alleged Curtis Sliwa affair and something about a mob restaurant.
GB Q _ Queens District Attorney Debate
Includes Video of Highlights from the Debate in Jamaica
In May I had the opportunity to attend the Queens District Attorney debate at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center. It was the second event, featuring the candidates running for the Queens District Attorney's office, that I attended. This time I focused more intently how well versed each candidate was on the issues to be addressed by the person winning that position, and what qualifications, experience and vision they might bring to the office.
I have noted my first impressions below, which were gleaned while attending a forum in April, to which all candidates were invited to participate at the Jackson Heights Jewish Center. In the second debate, some of these impressions were altered and some of them were confirmed.
The photo above shows the two leading candidates [based on endorsements] running for the Queens District Attorney office - Melinda Katz and Tiffany Caban. The photo below shows the other two leading candidates running for the Queens District Attorney office - Gregory Lasak and Rory Lancman.
Tiffany Caban has, by far, received donations from more small contributors than any of the candidates. Melinda Katz leads in fundraising, with strong support from the real estate development community for which she spent years [2009 - 2013] working as a lobbyist.
Gregory Lasak and Rory Lancman have also been competitive fundraisers - but neither matching Tiffany Caban's small donor support, nor Melinda Katz's big donor support.
The following video captures about 17 minutes of highlights from the three hour long debate. I decided not to give equal time because many of the statements made were either repetitive or laden with platitudes. Thus former Justice Gregory Lasak and Public Defender Tiffany Caban received the most air time, as they provided real world anecdotes, as well as real world insights into how our criminal justice system functions and how it can be reformed.
Staten Island New Years Eve Parties & NYE Restaurants
Staten Island New Years Eve Parties in Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island
New Years Eve occurs on a Monday this year, meaning that it's going to be an extended party weekend. While the celebrations may begin early on the weekend, the big events will all be held on New Years Eve, thus ending the year.
While New Years Eve is one big party, it's important to keep in mind, that like St. Patrick's Day, all the amateurs come out to play [it's not just the Irish who are out drinking on St. Patrick's Day]. So some measure of caution is advised and you have to be careful.
Brooklyn New Years Eve Parties in near the Dumbo, Williamsburg, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Greenpoint, Bushwick, Greenwood Heights, Gowanus, Downtown Brooklyn, Sunset Park, Bayridge, Marine Park, Coney Island Neighborhoods of Brooklyn
New Years Eve occurs on a Monday this year, meaning that it's going to be an extended party weekend. While the celebrations may begin early on the weekend, the big events will all be held on New Years Eve, thus ending the year.
While New Years Eve is one big party, it's important to keep in mind, that like St. Patrick's Day, all the amateurs come out to play [it's not just the Irish who are out drinking on St. Patrick's Day]. So some measure of caution is advised and you have to be careful.
Halloween occurs on a Thursday this year. The Brooklyn Halloween party celebrations begin as early as Friday, October 25th running through the weekend, with some also on Halloween day itself.
Halloween is one big costume party, where the theatrical side of people, is given a small opening. Halloween provides people the opportunity to create and play roles they have wanted to play, that the day-to-day keeps submerged. Is it their Doctor side or their Jekyll side - or something uncategorizable?
In the photo at right are NYC Halloween partyers in an earlier year. Professional actors are paid to assume and perform roles, but on Halloween it's an all-volunteer, unpaid, theatrical free-for-all ... but that very chaos of creativity is what also makes it so much fun.
Staten Island St Patrick's Day Bars, Restaurants & Irish Pubs
Staten Island St Pat's Day Irish Pubs in Castleton, Stapleton, Richmond Town, Great Kills, Rossville, Tompkinsville near St. George, Westerleigh & South Beach Neighborhoods of Staten Island
St Patrick's Day is on a Sunday this year, meaning that it's going to be an extended party weekend.
At a later date we'll add a bit of history of St. Patrick's Day.
While St. Patrick's Day is one big party, it's important to keep in mind, that like New Years Eve, all the amateurs come out to play [it's not just the Irish who are out drinking on St. Patrick's Day]. So some measure of caution is advised and you have to be careful.
Brooklyn St Patrick's Day Bars, Restaurants & Irish Pubs
Brooklyn St Pat's Day Irish Pubs in or near the Dumbo, Williamsburg, Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Greenpoint, Bushwick, Greenwood Heights, Gowanus, Downtown Brooklyn, Sunset Park, Bayridge, Marine Park, Coney Island Neighborhoods of Brooklyn
St Patrick's Day is on a Sunday this year, meaning that it's going to be an extended party weekend.
At a later date we'll add a bit of history of St. Patrick's Day.
While St. Patrick's Day is one big party, it's important to keep in mind, that like New Years Eve, all the amateurs come out to play [it's not just the Irish who are out drinking on St. Patrick's Day]. So some measure of caution is advised and you have to be careful.
A few Staten Island & Brooklyn farmers markets may be open year round, but most of them are seasonal. Some of the seasonal Staten Island & Brooklyn farmers markets usually begin opening in May, with the rest of them opening in June or no later than the first couple of weeks in July. Click here to view the schedules of many of the farmers markets in Brooklyn and here for the farmers markets in Staten Island.
Staten Island & Brooklyn street fairs, on the other hand, are entirely seasonal. Some of them hit the streets as early as April. The number of Staten Island & Brooklyn street fairs rises during the late spring and continues through the dog days of summer [July / August], including into the late part of the Fall. By late October / the end of November the Staten Island & Brooklyn street fairs go on hiatus, with a few returning as early as April. Click here to view a full schedule of the Brooklyn street fairs and also Staten Island street fairs.
On Wednesday, May 25th I went to the Goddard Riverside Community Center on Columbus Avenue at 88th Street to attend a housing clinic designed to inform renters of their rights.
***The following introduction is based on prior research done by me, and was not information provided at the housing clinic. I'll let you know when I segue out of my preamble and into the housing clinic.***
Over the past decade landlords appear to have become increasingly aggressive in trying to wriggle out of NYC and NYS rent stabilization regulations, that govern the rental payments under which about two million New Yorkers live.
It is my understanding that the government contributed land and / or financing to build or repair the buildings governed by NYC / NYS rent stabilization laws in exchange for the pricing rights on rent stabilized units. Many of the new landlords who have acquired rent stablized buildings, may possibly be in violation of approaching their business contract(s) in good faith, as the definition of good faith according to Wikipedia is:
"In contract law, the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing is a general presumption that the parties to a contract will deal with each other honestly, fairly, and in good faith, so as to not destroy the right of the other party or parties to receive the benefits of the contract. It is implied in every contract in order to reinforce the express
covenants or promises of the contract. A lawsuit (or a cause of action) based upon the breach of the covenant may arise when one party to the contract attempts to claim the
benefit of a technical excuse for breaching the contract, or when he or she uses specific contractual terms in isolation in order to refuse to perform
his or her contractual obligations, despite the general circumstances and understandings between the parties. When a court or triar or fact interprets a contract, there is
always an "implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing" in every written agreement."
What is at stake, throughout the city, is literally hundreds of millions and more likely billions of dollars in - rental benefits or rental income streams - depending on which side of the struggle you're on. The landlords appear to be trying - using the torturtous side effects of construction including noise, health risk dust [inhalation], privacy loss and apartment functional loss - to wrest away the billions of dollars of rental pricing rights benefits from tenants to be pocketed by the landlords themselves. Given the high dollar value of what's at stake - including people's homes - this seems like attempted grand larceny, especially in cases where landlords are breaking the law to achieve their goals.
This will be continued at a later date. Including the segue into the information provided by the Housing Clinic to inform tenants of their rights.
Tenants' Rights March & Rally - June 14th Midtown at 4.30 pm
P.S. There's a March & Rally scheduled for June 14th, beginning at 4.30 pm, at the NY Public Library at 5th Avenue and 40th Street. They plan to march to Governor Cuomo's office at 3rd Avenue and East 41st Street. For details contact info@realrentreform.org or call 212.979.6958. All but one of the No IDC NY senatorial candidates have been invited to participate, and there's a possibility that NYS gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon will be there too - as this seems to coincide with her reasons for challenging Governor Cuomo.
* REAL ESTATE also MB
NY Real Estate Expo
NYC Professionals Discuss Manhattan & NYC Metro Real Estate
I attended the 10th annual NY Real Estate Expo at the New York Hilton last week. The event was well attended by hundreds of real estate, development and financial professionals from the NYC and metro area. Anthony Kazazis, Director of the event, had organized a series of panels to discuss key aspects affecting the real estate market ranging from software platforms, to financing, to NYC real estate market assessments.
Generally the mood was upbeat, but not without some concern about the future, given changes in the tax laws, foreign interest in NYC investment, interest rates forecasts and technological challenges facing the industry. But, I thought, that is why everyone is here. To find out what's going on so they can navigate the market changes - rather than be surprised by them.
While I had intended to stay only a short while, I found the topics and panelists too interesting to leave, so I stayed most of the day. I started with a discussion of a new information technology platform called Blockchain, which is intended to serve as an information clearing house, and it includes some artificial intelligence capability. I then found my way into a discussion about New York City versus Silicon Valley with respect to attracting large technology companies like Amazon, Facebook and Google. And I ended my visit after listening in on a discussion by NYC and metro area realtors discuss the residential real estate market in Manhattan and outer boroughs.
Sound like an interesting NYC real estate conference? It was. In the photo above you can see the audience at the well attended panel discussions at the NY Real Estate Expo this year.
I'll have more on this later in the week.
* ISSUES
Empire State of Mind at Global Citizen Concert in Central Park
Thousands Came Together for the Global Citizen Concert in Central Park Saturday Night
October 1, 2019 / UES & UWS Neighborhoods NYC / Manhattan Things To Do / Manhattan Buzz NYC.
I attended the Global Citizens Concert in Central Park Saturday night. It was a beautiful evening and thousands had come to enjoy the music and performances of famous musicians and groups including Queens, Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Pharrell Williams, John Batiste & Stay Human, Carole King and emcees like Hugh Jackman. And all for a good cause, as Global Citizen seeks to support positive change in society for all people on the planet.
MB1386 _ Has The Pulitzer Prize Committee - Like the Corporate Media - Lost its Way?
The following is an open letter that I sent to the Pultizer Prize Committee on January 25th, 2018 along with a journalistic series I had written in 2017 and sent to them in 2018 entitled Rupert Murdoch and the Rise of the 21st Century Propaganda Press. The series, which you can view by clicking the link, tells the story about how multi-billionaire Rupert Murdoch appears to use his media outlets as propaganda machines in order to promote pols who will grant him favorable tax legislation, favorable executive rulings and favorable industry regulatory legislation.
Murdoch also appears to be able to manipulate the course of governments and public policy. He appears to have done exactly this in the case of the Iraq War, whereby Murdoch appears to have sent three English-speaking democracies to war - not only for oil - but for his cable network TV ratings too. In Britain in 2016, regarding the Brexit referendum, Murdoch appears to have hijacked public policy in his favor - not the nation's - by pushing through a seismic policy change that enables Murdoch to have greater autonomy over how he conducts his multi-national media business - free from any meaningful government interference - and the Brexit referendum vote also gave Murdoch a huge purchase price discount, because of a devalued British currency.
While the Corporate Media obsesses over the Russian Collusion Investigation - they are distracted from putting in the spotlight what appears to be the REAL 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION STORY - which is Rupert Murdoch's election meddling to further empower and enrich himself at the expense of the republic and its institutions.
In Trump's first year, Murdoch was the recipient of numerous tax breaks, and breath-taking deregulatory actions in Murdoch's industry via FCC Rulings and telecommunications legislative changes. All of this has received scant news coverage, as the Pulitzer Prize Award winning corporate media, were too busy covering Donald Trump's Tweet distractions. By giving preferential treatment to Trump's tweets, which the American public is able to directly access on their own, the corporate media has failed the American public by regurgitating and hence amplifying the President's shock jock statements - instead of doing their job of providing the American public with context-based news reports about the important issues of the day.
Queens Boro President Katz's Controversial Queens Library 'Reform Bill' & NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer's Lawsuit Against the Award Winning Queens Library Resulted in Taxpayers Paying Million$? for What?
The graphic at right was created by Sunnyside artist and jazz drummer Paul Maringelli.This section is dedicated to an important and evolving story happening within the borough of Queens regarding a change to the governance of the Queens Public Library system. Government officials with the help of the NY Daily News appeared to wrest away control of the library from the quasi-independent board of trustees set up by Andrew Carnegie in the early 20th century. Andrew Carnegie donated the funds to build public libraries in New York City and throughout the U.S. and the independent board structure was meant to keep the libraries independent of government control.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer in tandem with the NY Daily News relentlessly attacked the award winning Queens Library President Thomas Galante and the Queens Library Board using allegations and innuendo in what appeared to be a publicity hanging. Queens Borough President Melinda Katz then pushed through legislation changing the Queens Library charter, which wrested control away from the independent board, and gave it to her and the Mayor. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law with the near unanimous vote from both NYS legislative bodies.
It appears it was a power grab by Katz with Stringer's help, as the allegations did not result in any court actions and the Queens Library subsequently suffered a multi-million dollar lawsuit loss [we heard but could not confirm that it cost $7 million] regarding the Queens Library President's termination [settled out of court - probably so it wouldn't be scrutinized by the public or the press]. Most of the other local press was guilty of following the NY Daily News narrative which appeared to be guided by the then Publisher, billionaire and real estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman. We carved out our own narrative as what the NY Daily News was reporting didn't seem to be supported by what we knew about the Queens Library and its award winning president.
Community holiday events have been on the rise in Brooklyn since the start of the 21st century. While some date back many years, even prior to the start of the 21st century, many are relatively new.
Enjoying a community get together around the holidays is a good way to share in other people's cultures and strengthen the human bonds that transcend cultural variation. Or conversely, an opportunity to share your cultural upbringing with others.
Each of the Brooklyn holiday events is a bit different, as some are organized by community groups, local government officials and others by business organizations. Oftentimes one can find artisanal products that are made in NYC or NYS for sale, but we've dedicated a special section to announcing Brooklyn Holiday Markets & Shopping - Brooklyn NYC.
Brooklyn Holiday Events & Things To Do Getting Underway
The Brooklyn holiday events get underway shortly after Halloween, with some coming opening up about the time of Thanksgiving. The Brooklyn holiday events are located in or near the following Brooklyn neighborhoods - Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bushwick, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Prospect Park, Park Slope, Sunset Park, Bayridge, Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Dyker Heights. Many either include the serving of some beverage like hot chocolate and generally snacks like cookies - or are near food vendors and restaurants.
A couple of years ago, I happened upon a childhood book of fables and fairytales that I had saved since I was a first grader. I was young enough to still like fairytales and old enough to be learning and loving to read.
The book, A Gateway to Storyland, by Platt & Munk Co, was given to me around the holidays, and the book still gives me a warm, loved feeling when I periodically open it to browse through the fairytales and fables containing little nuggets of age old wisdom about how to conduct onesself [see photo at right / the book is still in print]. I read it numerous times immediately upon receiving it, as the illustrations fed my imagination, and lessons embedded in the words resonated with timeless sagacity.
Unselfish Parental Love Manifested by Empowering Progeny
Love comes in many forms, but the purest form is unselfish love. The love of truly giving something with no thought of anything in return. That love is oftentimes given intergenerationally - from grandparents to parents to children.
Perhaps the greatest gifts are those that cost us nothing but our time. Like the gift of teaching someone something that they will be able to put to good use throughout their lives. Parents do this all the time, when they help their children develop skills, and impart some knowledge and learning ... just as my parents did many years ago, by giving me a well illustrated fairytale book to encourage my interest in reading, while sharing the time tested insights of the ages, handed down through storytelling.
I. A Brief Thanksgiving History
The Pilgrims Shared Communal Resources to Actualize a Dream
At Thanksgiving time we commemorate one of America's first settlements, founded by the risk-taking, resource-pooling, hardworking, spiritual community of Pilgrims.
The Pilgrims were early English settlers who arrived on American shores in the early 17th century [1600's]. They came here because they wanted a measure of freedom and self-determination that they were forbidden in Europe or what was called the 'old country'. The Pilgrims wanted to practice their faith, unencumbered, in a way that differed from the established Church of England. They pooled their money to obtain a ship, the Mayflower, to cross the Atlantic in mid September of 1620, landing on America's shores at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts on November 9, 1620. Think of it. It took about a month and a half to travel a distance we can now traverse in about five hours.
The Pilgrims Receive Help from the Native People of a Strange Land
Per Wikipedia, the Piligrims survived a hard winter in 1621 with the help of the Wampanoag, an American Indian tribe. The Pilgrims were the immigrants, and the first Americans, the Indian natives, welcomed them. The Wampanaog taught the Pilgrims how to catch eels, and how to grow and harvest corn. Thus the Pilgrims ended 1621 with a good harvest which they celebrated and shared with their new friends, expressing their gratitude to a higher power, aka God, for the success of their endeavors.
Thus it was that the first Thanksgiving celebration happened in America ... or did it?
In the 1962 film [based on the 1960 book by Harper Lee] 'To Kill a Mockingbird', attorney Atticus Finch takes up the defense of an African American, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman in a small, rural town in Alabama. The verdict is a foregone conclusion in the Depression era deep south, but Atticus Finch does his best to defend Tom, and in doing so, finds plenty of holes in the prosecutor's case. Similarly, I also found holes in Murdoch's NY Post Editorial Board's case, which are provided below. The issue of race was an underlying issue in 'To Kill a Mockingbird', and there are many who believe there's an underlying race issue here.
Murdoch's New York Post Editorial, in a Nutshell, Seems to Tell Why America, Britain & Australia are Divided
By the end of August, NY Police Commissioner James O'Neill will decide whether to keep Officer Daniel Pantaleo on the New York City Police Force. The union boss of the NY Patrolmen's Benevolent Association [NYPBA], Patrick Lynch, came out strongly in favor of keeping Pantaleo on the NY police force, stating that, "He's [Pantaleo] has done nothing wrong." I've provided information taken from a number of different, generally reliable sources, down below, including a link a live video of the incident, so you can cut & paste into your browser, and see / judge for yourself.
The NY Post Editorial Board should be ashamed of itself for such a shoddy, one-sided presentation of the facts used in their opinion. That the highest ranking members of one of America's largest newspapers would publish such rubbish, provides added support to the notion that the union busting billionaire who controls the paper, is a predator propagandist. All of the members of the NY Post 'Editorial Board' who didn't strongly object to this opinion should be fired and Rupert Murdoch should be asked to resign as Chairman of the Board at Newscorp.
Murdoch's New York Post Cherry Picked the Facts for their Opinion
Murdoch and his NY Post Editorial Board didn't sign their names to the Editorial, but rather chosed to hide behind their newspaper brand. On August 1, 2019 Murdoch's NY Post Editorial Board's opinion headline read,
"The Facts Say: Do Not Fire Daniel Pantaleo".
Yes, Murdoch's NY Post's CHERRY-PICKED facts might say that. But if provided a full reading of the facts, the full facts might say just the opposite. Let's start with the live video, so you can take a look for yourself, before we delve into the background information. If you want, you may cut and paste this into your browser bar to view the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s8JklrBSlk
NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo was recorded on video making the arrest of Eric Garner. Eric Garner was a six foot three, 350 pound, African American who was allegedly illegally selling cigarettes on the street. It's worth noting that Garner had had a number of previous encounters with the police and that Pantaleo had previously been charged in two civil rights lawsuits.
Five Key Omissions by Murdoch's New York Post Editorial Board
NY POST KEY OMISSION I - Pantaleo's complaint history was not included in Murdoch's NY Post opinion, while some of Garner's history with the law was.
K. Rupert Murdoch & the Rise of the Propaganda Press
This Section is Dedicated to Preserving One Man One Vote Democracies by Exposing What Appears to be Murdoch's Life's Work in Propaganda
Updated May 6, 2021 from 1/24/21 and 9/16/20 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz.
In the Spring of 2016, while watching the Bernie Sanders campaign unfold, I noticed that the 'mainstream media' was showing what seemed to be tangible bias in favor of Hillary Clinton. This prompted my first story about the Bernie Sanders campaign & phenomenon, and made me aware of how the mainstream media appeared to treat him unfairly.
After the New York Primary, I noticed a relentless onslaught of attacks by Rupert Murdoch's NY Post on Mayor de Blasio. The attacks were based on allegations and innuendo, and sometimes included as many as five attack stories per day. Their relentless attacks based on allegations and innuendo outraged my sense of decency and fair play, so I began a study of the NY Post reporting bias which resulted in the second story of this series.
While doing the de Blasio / NY Post story, I couldn't help but notice a wide ranging pattern of what appeared to be a rampant abuse of First Amendment power by Keith Rupert Murdoch and his organization, including breaking laws, invading people's privacy, and bribing public officials. While these activities were uncovered in Britain, it's not a stretch to think that given the same man, Murdoch, is controlling the Newscorp & 21st Century Fox global media empire, that these same sorts of nefarious activities might be going on here as well. In fact, people responsible for management oversight of the tainted operations were subsequently given high ranking positions in this country.
As the Republican and Democratic Conventions of 2016 approached, I decided that the time period surrounding the political party conventions, up through the general election in November, would provide me with a good case study period to evaluate whether and how Murdoch's Fox News, NY Post and other assorted media properties, including the Wall Street Journal and the National Geographic, might be used as propaganda outlets.
In doing the context research, I found America's and Britain's media laws had been rewritten and loosened over time. In numerous cases I noticed that Keith Rupert Murdoch, all too often appeared to be in close proximity to the politicians changing those laws - almost always having supported them with his media properties - and at least in one case - even making personally direct donations to their campaigns.
I dug a bit further and found that there are few 'real' media laws of the books in Australia, where Murdoch is no longer a citizen. In spite of his status as a foreigner he reportedly owns 64% of that nation's daily newspapers and has a controlling interest in the nation's satellite TV system. I did some cursory research and it's not a stretch to think that Murdoch may have gotten his start influencing the re-writing of a nation's media laws there.
I also found what appeared to be a striking pattern of Murdoch manipulations and moves that seemed to come straight out of the political and propaganda playbook written by two of the earliest, most successful, and most evil practitioners of modern mass market propaganda - Adolph Hitler and Joseph Goebbels.
Hitler and Goebbels came to my attention because I found that I really could not even begin to understand modern propagandist techniques without studying Hitler and Goebbels in Germany in the 1930's. Hitler's skillful use of propaganda appears to have hastened his ascent to power, and enabled him to keep his grip on it. These two men are the fathers of modern propaganda, and it appears that Keith Rupert Murdoch has adopted and updated their propagandist techniques to serve his own interests.
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. So please read on.
Beginning in late 2016 I began to start paying attention to some of the crazy stories floating around about Donald Trump. At first the stories seemed almost unbelievable tales of someone competing to become president of the United States, but the more I dug, the more I found, and eventually the evidence of who this man was and is, almost frightened me when pausing to consider that he had and still has control of the most powerful government apparatus in the world.
Empires and civilizations come and go because those who worked hard to build them are not the same people who inherit them. And the people who inherit them are oftentimes unappreciative of the hard work and thought that went before them.
We're too close, to my way of thinking, of squandering the gifts that were left to us by our forbears because we have not paid attention to all of the malfeasance and corruption that today is so much a part of government and the media we rely on to inform us. I've began running a series on what I view as the most egregious threat coming from the media in the series on Rupert Murdoch and the Rise of the Propaganda Press, which I had at first titled Murdoch Media Madness.
This series is a compendium of reports I've published on the presidency of the dysfunctional Donald. The graphic above showing Rupert Murdoch's Fox Fake News celebrating the billionaire tax cut of December 2017 includes my take on things in red.
I stumbled upon an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, from January 10, 2018, about how Donald Trump has differentiated himself from all other presidents of the United States of America - as the greatest known liar of them all.
Cut and paste this link for a short video of Jimmy Kimmel's documentary of Trump Telling His 2,000th Lie over a year ago - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQruDaf7bKs
Real Presidential Greatness vs 'Greatest'
It's important to distinguish between greatest - which compares one to another - and greatness, for which there is no comparison. Greatest is an amount or extent considerably above normal, while greatness is about having won the respect for achievements in one's field. True greatness is rarely achieved by braggadocious people, because they are too busy talking to make time to do anything truly great.
Presidential Greatness. George Washington was achieved greatness by risking his life as the Commander in Chief of the colonial army during the Revolutionary War. A greatness which was made even more so, by the fact that the first president didn't try to keep / possess the title of the president beyond two terms /eight years. Abraham Lincoln, similarly risked his life, to hold the Union together, while exorcising it of the heinous institution of slavery. And Franklin Delano Roosevelt, saved democracy, capitalism and freedom, by leading the nation through the Great Depression and the Second World War.
But while the Donald may not have done anything remotely deserving the moniker of greatness, over a year ago Jimmy Kimmel identifed that Trump had already become the greatest liar who ever occupied the White House. That was over a year ago, in January of 2018, and since then the Trump has continued onward with his train of lies.
President Pinocchio Supported by Murdoch's Fox News Pinocchio Pundits
But to be fair, Trump likely could not have come up with so many different lies to tell, without the help of multi-billionaire, global propagandist, Keith Rupert Murdoch, and his mass media mendacity machine.
The Murdoch propaganda machine includes outlets like Fox News and their portfolio of Pinocchio pundits, the Wall Street Journal and the NY Post.
Murdoch appears to have benefitted greatly from the Trump presidency, via 1) huge tax cuts for the wealthy, 2) Trump military action in Syria where Murdoch owns part of Genie Energy with former VP Dick Cheney and several other robber barons, 3) huge Fox News ratings wins due in part to the Donald's Crazy Town [name of a book by Bob Woodward about the Trump Administration] and last but not least 4) Department of Justice and FCC approval of Murdoch's inverted takeover of Disney / ABC which will soon enable Murdoch to take control of about half of America's broadcast news.
5 of President Pinocchio's Biggest Lies Since 7/2018
Since Kimmel's video was posted in January of 2018, Trump has continued telling many lies - including some very, very big ones. Here are five of Trump's biggest lies between July 2018 and today, including a brief analysis of the impact.
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June 11, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.
Thru Sunday, June 13, 2021 from 6 pm to 11 pm - The Feast of St. Anthony. Times are Friday until 11 pm, Sat from 2 pm - 11 pm / Sun from 2 pm - 10 pm. It's the 114th / 115th annual Feast of St Anthony at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church at 627 East 187th Street which is also known as Bronx Little Italy. The triangle of streets along Cresent and Arthur Avenues & 187th Street in the Little Italy section of the Belmont neighborhood in the Bronx will be celebrating this Belmont neighborhood st fair with rides, games, raffles, food and entertainment every night. Officially the street fair is being held along East 187th street
from Arthur to
Beaumont
Avenue, and along
Crescent from
Cambreleng
to
Belmont Avenue. There will be a procession on Sunday beginning at 5 pm. 
June 7, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
It was nice to see all of the major candidates on the same stage talking the issues, as for the first time the debate was live. I went in with Garcia, Morales and Yang near the top of my list; with Adams, Stringer and McGuire at the bottom; and the other two - Donovan and Wiley - in the middle.
June 4, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.
I can see it in my email box, once made manageable by the CoVid pandemic. And now ... ever so steadily ... I see it filling back up as the big city begins to awake from its pandemic slumber. At once heartening, but also scary, as I feel a flood of activity coming, almost to great to bear. Woe is me?
In Manhattan, there are three street fairs this weekend, with two on Satruday and one on Sunday. These generally begin at 10 am and last until 6 pm. There's the St. Nicholas Avenue Festival on Saturday, June 5th on St. Nicholas Avenue from 181st Street to 188th Street, as well as the First Avenue Festival, also on Saturday on 1st Avenue from 68th Street to 79th Street. On Sunday there's the West Side Spring Fair on Amsterdam Avenue from 73rd Street to 79th Street. Not completely sure on this one, but I believe there's a craft fair in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center this weekend from about 10 or 11 am to 6 pm.
So there's been a stream of announcements, of returning events, that are likely to continue throughout the summer. The Gay Pride Parade is set to return on Sunday, June 27th, and in 'bitch-like fashion' the parade has banned the NYPD from participating, likely in retaliation for prior treatment. Moving on?
The Tribeca Film Festival begins on Wednesday 6/9. They are offering a number of complimentary tickets, so many of the live screenings have been sold out, but there's still plenty available as of this posting [but it's next week so if you want to attend, you better get moving]. For details see their website which includes both live and streamed events.
May 28, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Things To Do Events / Gotham Buzz NYC.
May 24, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods /NYC Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
In the 1800's through the mid 1900's the Irish and the English controlled the office of NYC Mayor [Tammany Hall in the 1800's and 1900's]. 
And then there's Kathryn Garcia. The Dark Horse, not-so-quietly pulling within racing distance on Adams, Stringer and Yang, while managing her cash, grabbing a considerable amount of attention for someone who used to manage our garbage collection, and now tied as the leading front runner female with momentum. 
May 17, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Politics / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC. 
According to an April 20, 2021 report in City Limits, a non-profit journalism website, 
May 14, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods /NYC Things To Do Events / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
The Mayor announced plans for more bike lanes in 2021, including one bike boulevard in each borough. The proposals must go through the community vetting process, so it's not a done deal. Here are where the proposed bike boulevards are slated to take place - BUT will only include a segment of each street / avenue - NOT the entire road. 
Last summer the open restaurants / open streets program provided relief to restaurant owners and communities during the CoVid pandemic. In an effort to build on that success, Mayor de Blasio announced plans for Open Boulevards in an effort to provide relief / kick start cultural activities in NYC this summer. The program has thus far identified ten boulevards, spanning all five boroughs, wherein it is planning to cordon off some segment of each major street - likely over the weekend - and use the space to enable the artists, musicians, actors and dancers of NYC to show their stuff. The ten boulevards include: a) BRONX - 1) Alexander Avenue near East 134th Street and 2) Arthur Avenue near Cresent Street, b) BROOKLYN - 3) Fifth Avenue in Park Slope and 4) Fifth Avenue in Sunset Park, c) MANHATTAN - 5) Amsterdam Avenue at 110th and 6) Columbus Avenue at 106th, d) QUEENS - 7) Ditmars Avenue at 33rd Street and 8) Woodside Avenue at 78th Street, and e) STATEN ISLAND - 9) Minthrone Street at Victory Blvd. I don't yet know what the tenth street is.
The Pfizer vaccine was approved for use in children ages 12 - 15 by the FDA on Monday. May 10, 2021. The Federal Advisory Board must also approve the vaccine, and is likely to do so as early as this weekend. Governor Cuomo has indicated once the vaccine passes muster with these two scientific groups, the state will approve it as well and begin administering it, which could be as early as next week. The Moderna vaccine isn't far behind Pfizer in the data collection and scientific approval process, but it likely will be weeks to more than a month, before it's in the market.
One of NYC's most significant revenue and employment economic categories is tourism. Prior to the pandemic NYC had hosted 67 million tourists in a single year. These visitors spent some $70 billion while here on entertainment, hotels, dining, shopping and the like. That kind of economic activity helped fuel employment of about 300 - 400 thousand workers.
May 10, 2021 / NYC Neighborhoods / NYC Corona Virus / News Analysis & Opinion / Gotham Buzz NYC.
The Midtown East rezoning was a gargantuan real estate development push centered in and around the Grand Central Terminal neighborhood. At the time [August 2013] Scott Stringer was the Manhattan Borough President. And, as I eventually found Stringer to have done before, he came out strongly publicly criticizing the plan, and then seemed to do an about face and sign off on it. 
In 2014 the NY Daily News, which at the time was owned by real estate developer Mortimer Zuckerman, began a barrage of seemingly endless attacks on then Queens Library President Thomas Galante. Almost every NYC media outlet followed the lead and tone of the NY Daily News coverage - except us and a couple of other independent outlets.
NYU planned a mega real estate development, to expand its campus footprint in Greenwich Village. The people who lived there weren't supportive of it, as their Community Board 2, opposed the proposal based on its size and the impact of the construction on the neighborhood before and after the development was completed which was estimated to be about 19 years. There were also accusations that NYU's math was 'fuzzy' with respect to how they counted public space in the proposal.
I think it's worth noting that generally speaking, conditional statements included in rezoning proposals, were oftentimes ignored, once the plan was approved. This was so much so the case, that in June 2018 Mayor de Blasio opened up a Rezoning Commitments Tracker to remedy this situation based on legislation passed by the City Council [Local Law 175 of 2016]. Unfortunately the page does not appear to have been updated since the pandemic and social unrest began in the Spring of 2020. 
As with the phony. trumped up charges in the Queens Library 'Corruption Scandal', Scott Stringer appeared to use his office to try to undermine Mayor de Blasio's push for Universal Pre-K in the Fall of 2014, after de Blasio helped secure the NYS legislation authorizing the plan. 
This is a two pronged deal where Stringer seems to fund private equity that is alleged to be contributing to the global housing shortage. And fund real estate investments that have reportedly also provided sub par returns for the funds. If I'm not mistaken, municipal pension fund shortfalls are paid by city taxpayers. Are these financial guys donors / possible donors to Stringer's campaign(s)?
May 7, 2021 /
Restaurants can now use 75% of their capacity effective today 5/7/21 - just in time for Mothers Day Weekend in NYC. I believe both New Jersy and Connecticut are doing the same, with the caveat that six feet social distancing remains the guideline in effect.
The Macy's Flower Show started on May 2nd and runs through May 16th. See photo showing how they took the show to the adjacent parks and decorated their outer veneer.
The Mayor and the NYC Municipal employees are leading by example. This week they returned to working in the office. That's certain to breathe new life into the city and the surrounding businesses. 
Retail Sales Up 10% in March and new unemployment claims fall below a half million for the first time since the pandemic began [but it's still about 200,000 above normal]. Restaurants, clothing and sporting goods lead the way with an increase of 18%. 
May 3, 2021 /
April 30, 2021 /
Bars and restaurants can now seat folks at the bar, effective Monday, May 3rd. 
The Mayor announced this week that he expects NYC to be fully reopened by July 1st, including the resumption of 24/7 subway service. Not long after the pandemic began, the subways were closed down from 12 midnight to 5 am [later shortened to 1 am to 5 am] for deep cleaning.
April 27, 2021 /
April 23, 2021 /
Jazz at Lincoln Center is hosting events in April - but not this weekend.
The NYPD has been working hard to bring down shootings and murders over the past year, in part by making a huge number of gun arrests. In the past four months of 2020, the NYPD made twice as many gun arrests as it had in the prior year. In the first quarter of 2021 the NYPD made 1378 gun arrests, which is a 64% increase over 2020. 
The shootings in NYC continue to be a problem, but there too the NYPD has made good progress since the spike last summer. Beginning in May 2020, shootings spiked into triple digits from the double digits of the prior year. Through the summer of 2020 we witnessed hundreds of shootings per month, although beginning in September the shootings began to fall into the hundred plus range, and thus far this year [first quarter 2021], NYC shootings have fallen to below 100 per month.
April 16, 2021 /
One of the metrics I use to evaluate how we're doing is mass transit usage in NYC. 
April 12, 2021 /
The bad news is, of course, that new cases of CoVid infections are not falling and - albeit slightly - have risen a bit, after falling from a Winter high. There's other bad news as well, for specifc segments of the population, which you will see in our discussion of what appears to be happening vis a vis the spread of new variants infecting kids and different reactions to the vaccines, based on gender. We also include a brief discussion about pregnant women. 
April 8, 2021 /
A week ago the restrictions on entertainment venues was lifted, allowing theaters and other performance spaces to reopen at 33% capacity. So the St. James Theater, off 8th Avenue on West 44th Street near Times Square, did a soft open for an invitation-only guest list of less than 200 for just over a half hour of performance. Broadway closed on March 12th 2020 so this was seen as a quick trial effort.
April 5, 2021 /
The following is mostly a paraphrasing / summary of an April 2, 2021 report in the NYT on the law. But I left a couple of things out, and added in a small bit of commentary.
April 2, 2021 /
Ferry service to Governors Island resumes May 1st from Manhattan in the Battery Maritime Building at 10 South Street which is at Whitehall Street, just north of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. The island is open from 10 am to 6 pm weekdays and until 7 pm on weekends. This year there will also be two new Governors Island ferry stops in Brooklyn on the weekends and holidays - one at the Atlantic Bassin in Red Hook and the second at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. 
Murdoch's media outlets appear to be managed to sell papers and generate TV ratings - by hyping, amplifying and distorting the news - in order to draw attention to it. But the sick genius of Murdoch's propaganda machine, is that it appears to be designed to manipulate voter perception of people, pols and issues in order to exert a strong influence on what voters do at the ballot box. 
what he wants. In New York City and New York State we have two government officials, Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo, who have long been targets of Murdoch's mendacious media outlets in our fair city. 
March 26, 2021 /
March 22, 2021 /
March 19, 2021 /
March 15, 2021 /
March 15, 2021 /
Dean Claims She's Not Politically Motivated, while Seeming to do a 'Soft Launch' of Her Campaign 2022 for NYS Governor on 'Free' Murdoch Media Infommercials
A December 12, 2020 report in the Wrap tells us that Janice Dean tweeted the following,
March 12, 2021 /
Why do I think the stench is coming from Murdoch's 21st Century & Newscorp and not the Governor's mansion? Because Murdoch's gang of mendacious multi-millionaire minions too often seem not to give a damn about reporting the truth - but rather about distorting and even fictionalizing it to stoke the ratings busting fires of discontent - by attacking government officials who seem not to give Murdoch what he wants from them.
March 5, 2021 / 
February 26, 2021 / 
February 22, 2021 / 
February 19, 2021 / 
February 9, 2021 / 
The second Trump impeachment trial began today, Tuesday, February 9th, 2021. Generally I find the rushing of the trial to be an insult to the American people, and the U.S. Constitution philosophies of due process and rule of law. The government officials prosecuting and managing the trial should take all the time required to educate the American people about who Donald Trump really is - not who he says he is. 
A day commemorating Lincoln's birthday was first passed in Buffalo, New York in the early 1870's. Presidents Day originated as Washington's Birthday which was a holiday narrowly prescribed for federal government offices in Washington, D.C. in 1879. The holiday was dedicated to honoring the memory of the first American president, George Washington who was born on February 22, 1732. 
On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Rudy Giuliani joined Donald Trump and Donny junior at a Trump rally in Washington, D.C. near the White House. The Donald had promoted this gathering as something 'wild' and related to his seemingly phony stop the steal / election fraud fundraising claims. At the rally Trump told his supporters, numbering about 5,000 [per the park permit] to march down to the Capitol and that he'd be there with them.
Trump appeared to have one of his lackeys, Louis DeJoy, gerry rig the U.S. Post Office, so the postal organization would be challenged to fulfill its role in delivering mail and absentee ballots to the Boards of Elections. This was identified in August and Congress halted it. 
There’s been a struggle over lengthening the time allowed for census takers to obtain census information. The original deadline was July 31st, which was extended to October 31st, which was shortened to September 30th, which was stayed until Sunday, October 4th. And today it was re-extended to October 31st. Given the back and forth I recommend filling it out right now, if you haven’t already.
September 4, 2020 / 
So today, we're going to look at just a few of Murdoch's media manipulations made in just the past couple of months - and I'm nearly certain that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, I don't have the resource to fact check what is the largest misleading news content producing organization in the nation, and possibly the free world.
